Lynn Rusten

Lynn Rusten is the Vice President, Global Nuclear Policy Program at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Before joining NTI in March 2017, Rusten held government positions including senior director for arms control and nonproliferation on the White House National Security Council staff; and in the Department of State served as chief of staff for the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation and as a senior advisor in the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance (AVC) where she led the interagency backstopping process supporting the negotiation and ratification of the New START Treaty.  

Rusten has held positions including professional staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, director of the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on International Security and Arms Control, and senior research assistant at the Congressional Research Service.

Rusten received an M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College; an M.A. in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Michigan; and a B.A. in Government with High Honors from Oberlin College.