From Competitor to Judge—CJ Dixon’s Cyber 9/12 Journey

CJ Dixon started his professional life as an Army officer. When he decided to pursue a career in information warfare, propaganda, and counter propaganda, he chose SIPA to study cybersecurity. 

Since graduating in 2019, Dixon has proven to be an emerging leader in the field, named among New America's list of 2020 Black American National Security and Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders. He currently serves in the Biden-Harris Administration as a deputy director for emerging technology policy in the Office of Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience in the US Department of Homeland Security, after serving in high-level roles at NYC Cyber Command and Deloitte. 

Dixon also gives back to the School, serving as a judge and mentor at the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, a competition he won as part of a SIPA student team in 2018. 

“I chose to be an MIA specifically because I want to sell myself as a professional on foreign policy and national security. Being an MIA student allowed me to really explore and drill down to those theoretical concepts that truly inform foreign policy.”