CNAS Welcomes Sara Schuman and Chris Kennedy to Energy, Economics, and Security Program

Washington, May 11, 2026 — Today, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) welcomed Sara Schuman and Chris Kennedy as adjunct senior fellows with the Center’s Energy, Economics, and Security Program.

Schuman previously served in multiple senior leadership positions at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, including as the senior trade representative for China in Washington, D.C., and the minister counselor for trade affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Schuman is a managing director at Beacon Global Strategies and leads the firm’s International Trade Practice, helping clients navigate the intersection of global trade and investment policy, economic security, and geopolitical risk.

You can find her full bio here.

Kennedy has served in a variety of roles in the State Department, most recently as a member of Secretary Marco Rubio’s policy planning staff. He was previously director for international economics in the National Security Council for both the Biden and Trump administrations, where his portfolio included climate and trade, critical minerals, and digital trade. He is currently a senior economist with Bloomberg Economics’ Geoeconomics practice, leading Bloomberg’s research and analysis on economic statecraft.

You can find his full bio here.

“As the previously established rules of the global economic order are rapidly rewritten, Sara and Chris will help us develop innovative policies for a dynamic and shifting trade environment,” said Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program. “We look forward to welcoming them and incorporating their contributions in our ongoing research agenda.”

The Energy, Economics, and Security Program’s work focuses on securing key national security objectives in a period of unprecedented restructuring of the global economic order. Previous work has studied the history of American economic pressure, the importance of incorporating economic security agreements in a renegotiated United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, and the innovative Sanctions by the Numbers dataset.

To learn more or request an interview with Sara Schuman or Chris Kennedy, contact Charles Horn at [email protected]