Amber Cassady

Amber is a national security policy expert who leverages broad federal agency expertise, spanning the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Institute of Standards of Technology (NIST), to develop and execute federal advocacy strategies.  Amber drives agency engagement across the federal S&T enterprise, including basic and applied defense research, defense health research, and emerging technologies and innovation. Amber creates and protects vital S&T research programs through authorization and appropriations legislation. As a leader in the Coalition for National Security Research (CNSR), Amber identifies and advocates for community-wide defense S&T priorities on behalf of Lewis-Burke clients. 

Issue Areas: Defense, national security, defense health, manufacturing, technology, and international affairs 

Additional Experience: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Amber worked as a Research Assistant at the Bertelsmann Foundation, a transatlantic think tank where she covered European Union-U.S. policies in artificial intelligence, technology, manufacturing, and the future of work.  She also interned with the Department of State at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal and gained international diplomatic experience in the Embassy’s politics and economics section.  Amber worked as an Education Outreach Assistant at the Center for European Studies, at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. 

Vital Statistics: Amber received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from UNC (Go Heels!). She earned a B.A. in Global Studies, a B.A. in Contemporary European Studies, and a minor in Spanish. She also earned an M.A. in Political Science, during which she studied at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, and was awarded two Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) scholarships by the U.S. Department of Education for her study of Portuguese.   

Amber leans into her role as a go-to foodie at Lewis-Burke and enjoys giving restaurant recommendations (fine dining to dives) across the DMV.