Anna Pederson

Associate Director of Communications, Director NextGen Fellowship

Anna Pederson is the associate director of communications and director of the Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Leaders Fellowship at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Pederson was previously the digital communications officer, where she managed the digital footprint of the center, including social media, email, website content, and general strategic communication support. Pederson is also the author of the CNAS Sharper series.

Pederson comes from the other Washington, where she received her undergraduate degree in English literature from Seattle University. After graduation, Pederson led the marketing efforts for three years at the famous Seattle-based graphic novel publisher Fantagraphics. Pederson later attended the University of Southern California (USC) for a master's degree in strategic public relations, with a focus on politics and public affairs. While at USC, Pederson was a public affairs fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, interned in the district office of Congressman Adam Schiff, and was a public affairs intern with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) before taking a position at CNAS in 2021.