Holly Ryan was a project assistant in the Forward Defense practice of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. She contributed to the program’s research and events on defense industry, defense innovation, and artificial intelligence. She also worked on the Commission on Software-Defined Warfare.

Ryan is a second-year master’s student at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver earning her degree in international security with a graduate certificate in homeland security. She graduated summa cum laude with dual bachelor’s degrees in political science and communication studies from Colorado State University.

Previously, she has worked for North American Aerospace Defense Command/US Northern Command, the Frederick S. Pardee Institute for International Futures, and the Colorado General Assembly. Most recently, her graduate work has included research on strategic competition in the Arctic, Russian and Chinese propaganda, and modernizing military infrastructure.