CyberWire Daily Lauren Van Wazer: You have to be your own North Star. [CISSP] [Career Notes]
Jan 25, 2026
Lauren Van Wazer, VP of Global Public Policy at Akamai and former White House cybersecurity policy lead, describes a career shaped by engineering, law, and tech policy. She recounts moving from AT&T to government roles and building Akamai’s worldwide policy team. She discusses leadership as coaching, wins in broadband and Wi‑Fi access, and the mantra to follow your own North Star.
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From Network Engineer To White House Policy Lead
- Lauren Van Wazer described moving from AT&T network engineer to law school and then to cybersecurity policy at the White House.
- She credited her engineering background for enabling a technology-fluent legal and policy career.
Engineering Shapes Analytic Rigor
- Lauren explained that an engineering education creates analytic rigor useful across law and policy.
- She said technical fluency made her effective in roles at the intersection of law, technology, and policy.
Building Akamai's Global Policy Function
- Lauren recounted starting the global public policy function at Akamai and growing it over nine years.
- She now covers policy and regulation across more than 140 countries with a focus on cybersecurity and internet regulation.