Deputy Director for Policy – McCrary Institute
As a core member of the McCrary Institute’s senior leadership team, Sharon L. Cardash has played a key role in growing the Institute’s portfolio, profile, and impact. She has generated many of the Institute’s signature products, and designed or managed many of its marquee activities, together with partners in the U.S. government, the private sector, and the diplomatic community.
Before joining Auburn, Cardash served as Security Policy Advisor to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and as Deputy Director of The George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security. Early in her career, she also worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, where she managed task forces on cybersecurity and counterterrorism.
Cardash holds a Law degree (J.D.) from the University of Toronto, a Master’s degree (M.Phil.) in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in International Relations from the University of Toronto. She clerked for Justice Joseph T. Robertson, then of the Federal Court of Appeal of Canada.
Her writings — on issues such as critical infrastructure, emerging threats, and national security strategy — have appeared in major newspapers, scholarly journals, and policy and industry publications. She is also a Member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy.
