To compete and thrive in the 21st century, democracies, and the United States in particular, must develop new national security and economic strategies that address the geopolitics of information. In the 20th century, market capitalist democracies geared infrastructure, energy, trade, and even social policy to protect and advance that era’s key source of power—manufacturing. In this century, democracies must better account for information geopolitics across all dimensions of domestic policy and national strategy.
Hope will provide an overview of cyber security threats and trends, with a focus on securing US infrastructure. She will include a general overview of US Intelligence Community cybersecurity responsibilities, and from there will dive into FBI's criminal and national security cyber programs. Hope will also talk about her experiences as a woman in cyber, and more broadly, leadership opportunities and challenges for women in cyber security, intelligence and law enforcement.
About: Hope Palmer is an intelligence analyst with FBI Boston. For the last ten years, Hope has worked on national security cyber investigations, including several high-profile terrorism investigations. Hope is a co-chair of a federal women's leadership initiative that connects female intelligence and law enforcement professionals with cohorts in academia and the private sector. Hope is an active member of the Massachusetts Association of Women in Law Enforcement (MAWLE), as well as Women in International Security (WIIS).
Prior to joining the FBI, Hope was a Harvard Kennedy School Fellow under the Managing the Atom Project and the International Security Program, and managed an Intelligence and Policy Project. During her Harvard fellowships, Hope co-chaired the New England chapter of Women in International Security and hosted networking and enrichment events jointly with Harvard, MIT and Tufts. Hope conducted doctoral research in financial intelligence at Kings College London (ABD). She holds a Masters Degree in International Security Studies, focusing on terrorism and political violence, from the University of St Andrews, Scotland and received her undergraduate degree from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.