Dr. Polyakova serves as the President and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and is the Donald Marron Senior Fellow at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). As a CEO, board director, and geopolitical expert, Dr. Alina Polyakova has successfully launched and scaled high-impact initiatives at the intersection of emerging technology, security, and geopolitics. She is a thought leader in national security, international affairs, tech policy, and defense.
A transformational leader known for building high-impact organizations, she has a proven track record of scaling teams and leading mission-driven institutions through complex periods of growth. Under her leadership, CEPA has become central to building cross-partisan international networks that convene decision makers while advancing innovation and impactful policy solutions to the most urgent geopolitical challenges around AI and tech policy, defense innovation, and strategic competition with China and Russia.
With over 20 years of leadership experience across policy institutions, including at the Brookings Institution and the Atlantic Council, where she founded and led innovative initiatives on emerging technology policy, Dr. Polyakova is a trusted advisor to organizational boards, private sector leaders, and government officials. She is frequently called upon to provide expert testimony to the US Congress and European Parliaments and is a sought-after public speaker, opinion writer, and recognized expert voice.
Her insights appear regularly in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Washington Post, and others. As a frequent commentator on CNN, BBC, and Fox News, she provides the strategic foresight necessary to navigate the complex landscape where innovation meets national security. Her work is dedicated to advancing strategic engagement and ensuring that the intersection of geopolitics and technology serves as a foundation for a secure and prosperous international security order.
