Make Room
Make Room is an inclusive professional development network where early professionals are equipped to pursue their career goals and develop their leadership skills. Founded in 2020 and run by junior members of the CNAS staff, Make Room aims to train, empower, and amplify the voices of underrepresented communities in the national security and foreign policy spheres.
Make Room recognizes and celebrates the inherent value of all people, and the initiative welcomes college students, recent graduates, early career professionals, and others interested in joining a community of peers working to strengthen their skills and build a diverse national security workforce. There are no costs nor prerequisites to join. If you are interested in joining Make Room, you can subscribe to ournewsletter, join thementorship program, and attendstudy sessions. To learn more, contact[email protected].
How to Get Involved:
Study Series
TheStudy Series holds interactive study sessions that focus on functional skill development and substantive learning. Study sessions speakers are diverse, early- to mid- career professionals who can readily relate to the Make Room community and provide actionable advice.
Mentorship Program
Applicants selected to join theMake Room Mentorship Program will be paired with an experienced national security professional who best meets their specific mentorship needs.
Newsletter
Thenewsletter delivers the Make Room experience directly in your inbox. The newsletter’s feature, Around the Table, highlights diverse voices in the field—each month the Make Room team interviews a peer in the community on their area of expertise and personal experience.
More:
A key part of CNAS’mission is to inform and prepare the national security leaders of today and tomorrow. In keeping with this mission, CNAS supports several programs that educate and advance the next generation of national security experts. These programs include: the Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security LeadersFellowship, the 1LT Andrew J. Bacevich Jr., USAAward, the Robert M. GatesFellowship,Make Room,The Pitch: A Competition of New Ideas, and the Joseph S. Nye, Jr. National Security Internship and MentoringProgram.
Join the Make Room Mission:Support our goal of creating a more diverse and inclusive national security workforce.
Watch:
EventMake Room Study Session | Deep Dive: Think Tanks
Katherine L. Kuzminski, Sam Bresnick, Anna Pederson, Martin Pimental
Feb 29, 2024
EventMake Room | Study Session: AI Governance and National Security
Ainikki Riikonen, Noah Greene
Nov 2, 2023
EventMake Room | Study Session: National Security Careers in the Private Sector
Jul 27, 2023
Related Research:
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Katherine L. Kuzminski, Dr. Jason Dempsey, Anthony Robinson, Meg Guliford, Dr. Theodore Johnson
May 20, 2021
Securing U.S. Democracy InitiativeMore women in government roles leads to greater national security
The United States is facing an unprecedented economic and health crisis due to the coronavirus. Decisions made now will have repercussions that last for years. Recovery from t...
National Security Human Capital ProgramSharper: Pride in National Security
In order for the United States to maintain its strategic advantage, the national security community must be able to access the nation's top talent and draw from their strength...
Meet the Team
Valeria Allende
Executive Assistant and Deputy Director for NextGen Fellowship
Noah Greene
Former Research Assistant, AI Safety and Stability Project
Charles Horn
Communications Officer
Kate Johnston
Associate Fellow, Transatlantic Security Program
Gibbs McKinley
Research Associate to the CEO
Dylan Selewonik
Administrative Assistant in Finance and Operations
Caroline Steel
Associate Editor
Taren Sylvester
Former Research Assistant, National Security Human Capital Program
Alexa Whaley
Former Communications Officer
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