Bo Julie Crowley: Reflections at Graduation

Crowley, a 2020 Harvard Kennedy School graduate, was a Belfer International and Global Affairs Student Fellow

Bo Julie Crowley graduated in May 2020 with a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. A Belfer International and Global Affairs Student Fellow while at HKS, her research and publications focus on artificial intelligence, disinformation, and cyber security.

Before attending HKS, Crowley obtained her BA in Government from Georgetown University with concentrations in Arabic and French. Since then, she has advised Fortune 50 telecom, media, and technology clients on cybersecurity risk and strategy.

Her time at HKS has come with many special memories that she says she will cherish for years to come. One memory that stands out for her is accidentally attempting to break into the Taiwanese Legislative Yuan on a research trip with BIGA fellows Raina Davis and Casey Corcoran. She also remembers simpler moments of trying sushi from 7/11 with Davis during their semiconductor research in Tokyo.

“I am so grateful for the community of BIGA fellows and Belfer staff that shaped my past two years,” says Crowley. “I am especially proud of the field research I conducted with other BIGA classmates - thanks to the Belfer Center's support - and the papers we published on disinformation, AI, and defense technology.”

Crowley is currently working on the Defending Digital Democracy Project's Summer Training Tour for election officials across the country. Through this program, they hope to deliver a series of tailored training modules to help officials manage incident response, COVID-19, information operations, and other challenges leading up to the 2020 Presidential Election. After the summer, Crowley will join McKinsey's management consulting practice in Washington D.C. She hopes to continue her interests in national security and technology and to one day serve in government.