Mara is a Washington DC-based ICT security policy expert. Mara regularly serves as a private sector advisor to executive agencies on information security issues, focussing on the technical and strategic implications of regulatory and policy activity. Prior to her current roles, she was the Director of Government Affairs for HackerOne. Mara’s background includes advanced degrees in cultural identity studies and modern history, as well as work in international security, counterinsurgency, and arms control. Her speaking credits include DEF CON, ShmooCon, The Atlantic Council the Federal Communications Bar Association, and an alphabet soup of think tanks. She is a proud contributor to FIRST Org’s VRDX-SIG, BlackHoodie alumna, and recently-named Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies on Terrorism.