Beth Schwanke JD

Beth Schwanke has served as the executive director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security since 2017.

Schwanke previously served as senior policy counsel and director of policy outreach for the Center for Global Development, a think tank researching international development.

Schwanke was also previously an associate in the Federal Law and Policy practice group in the multinational law firm DLA Piper, where she advised clients on matters related to congressional investigations and sanctions compliance. Prior to her time at DLA Piper, she served as legislative counsel for the non-profit organization Freedom Now, where she directed legal, political, and public relations advocacy efforts to secure the release of political prisoners. Her clients included Liu Xiaobo, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

Schwanke has provided commentary to Al-Jazeera, CNN, and NPR, among other international news outlets. Her writing has been published in such publications as The New York Times, The Hill, Sydney Morning Herald, and the Wall Street Journal.

Schwanke earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Wellesley College and her Juris Doctorate at the University of Michigan Law School, both with honors. She served as an associate and contributing editor of the Michigan Law Review. She is barred in the District of Columbia.

Schwanke serves on the Advisory Board for Pittsburgh DataWorks and on the Workforce Advisory Council of the School of Computing and Information’s Professional Institute, 
the Digital Inclusion Steering Committee of the Community Engagement Center in the Hill District, the Steering Committee of the Collaboratory Against Hate, WQED’s CyberJobs Explained Advisory Board, and the Election Verification Network.