CNAS Welcomes Shai Korman as Director of Communications

Washington, May 16, 2019 - The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is pleased to welcome Samuel (Shai) Korman as Director of Communications. In this role, he will lead the Center’s media, digital, and event strategy to advance CNAS’ mission of developing innovative and pragmatic national security policies. Before joining CNAS, Korman served as Director of Public Affairs and Communications at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) from 2017–2019.

“Shai has distinguished himself as one of the best in the business, and we're delighted to have him on the CNAS team,” said CNAS CEO Richard Fontaine. “His leadership, talent, and energy will help elevate the Center’s experts and research to new heights.”

During over a decade at the U.S. Department of State, Korman was instrumental in developing the federal government’s global media engagement strategy around major national security and foreign policy initiatives. As Director of the Office of International Media Engagement, Korman advised the State Department spokesperson and led the six Regional Media Hubs in Brussels, Dubai, Johannesburg, London, Manila, and Miami. He also oversaw the department’s Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese language spokespeople to increase the U.S. government’s ability to engage influential international media in local languages, as well as train the next generation foreign-language communicators. Korman worked previously in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and at the U.S.-European Media Hub in Brussels.

Korman joined the State Department as a Presidential Management Fellow after receiving his MA in International Affairs from the Elliott School at the George Washington University. He holds a BA from McGill University and an Executive Certificate in Facilitation from Georgetown University. In 2018, Korman was inducted into the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation’s ROI Community as part of a cohort of 150 top innovators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from around the world.

Korman can be reached at skorman@cnas.org or 202-457-9409.

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