Tess deBlanc-Knowles
Tess deBlanc-Knowles is the senior director of the Atlantic Council Technology Programs (ACtech), overseeing the Digital Forensic Research Lab, the GeoTech Center, the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, the Democracy + Tech Initiative, and the Capacity Building Initiative. These programs work together to shape an era of increasing geopolitical competition and rapid technological change through technical research that can inform policy and build communities of action.
Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, deBlanc-Knowles served in multiple roles across government, driving national artificial intelligence (AI) policy. As the National Science Foundation’s special assistant for AI, she shaped the agency’s AI investment strategy and oversaw implementation of AI-related executive and legislative directives.
At the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, she served as senior policy advisor, leading efforts to strengthen the AI innovation ecosystem and co-chairing the National AI Research Resource Task Force. She also led the development of the National Strategy to Advance Privacy Preserving Data Sharing and Analytics and the National AI Research and Development Strategic Plan: 2023 Update. Before joining the White House, deBlanc-Knowles was director for research and analysis at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
She holds a master’s degree in security studies from Georgetown University and graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in international and area studies. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and son.
