Tara is currently Managing Director for Nuclear Policy at the Outrider Foundation. She has over a decade of experience in the National Security field, managing complex government programs and supervising teams of talented researchers at both the U.S. State and Treasury departments. She earned a Ph.D. in plasma physics and has worked for the U.S. Navy on issues related to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) and for the U.S. State Department on Nonproliferation and Arms Control issues.
Mentor Background
What is your area of expertise?
Are you interested in mentoring high school or college students, or both?
How did you become interested in this area?
After graduate school, I wanted to integrate my scientific training with a policy-making career. The nuclear policy field is a natural fit.
What was your career path to get here?
Doctoral degree in physics -> Operations Research for the U.S. Navy -> Arms Control for the U.S. State Department -> Economic Sanctions with U.S. Treasury -> Managing Director at Outrider Foundation
Why should the public care?
The threat of stumbling into a nuclear war is ever-present. But, besides the possibility of an extinction-level event, nuclear weapons cause harm in the present. And, generally communities with less wealth and less political power bear the brunt of the harm. Nuclear weapons are a source of injustice for marginalized communities.
What is a current issue or trend that concerns you?
No First Use policies, and renewal of the New START Treaty.
Educational Resources
Article By Dr. Tara Drozdenko
