Safa Shahwan Edwards is the director of the Capacity Building Initiative within the Atlantic Council Technology Programs. In this role, she coordinates the overarching strategy for tech program capacity-building efforts designed to upskill policymakers, break down silos to build communities of action, and develop the next generation of the global technology workforce. Previously, Edwards was the deputy director of the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, building the initiative’s field-leading cyber policy and strategy competition—the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge—into a global program.  

Edwards holds an MA in international affairs with a concentration in conflict resolution from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs and a BA in political science from Miami University of Ohio. Edwards is of Bolivian and Jordanian heritage and speaks Spanish and Arabic.