Alumni Spotlight - Meredith Burkart
BA Philosophy and Political Science ’08
Senior Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Halcyon Meredith
Burkart’s career in governmental affairs and cyber policy traces back to the intellectual foundation she built at SIUE. As a Meridian Scholar double-majoring in philosophy and political science, she didn’t just learn what to think — she learned how to think. That training in critical analysis and plain language communication has been one of the quiet secrets to her success.
A study abroad experience in Istanbul deepened that foundation, impressing on her the value of appreciating the perspectives very different from her own. Immersed in the philosophy of Islamic aesthetics and the culture around her, Burkart came home with an appreciation that has shaped her approach to diversity ever since.
“The experience reshaped how I think about other countries and cultures — not as ‘the other’ but as people we can understand, connect, and work with,” Burkart said. “That perspective has influenced how I approach diplomacy and foreign policy.”
After SIUE, she earned a master’s degree in international relations and national security studies from Georgetown University before beginning her 15-year career with the FBI, rising from an intelligence analyst to the agency’s Chief of Cyber Policy. Today, she is the senior director of cybersecurity policy and governmental affairs at Halcyon and one of the founding leaders of its Ransomware Research Center. She also volunteers as the deputy chief product officer at Cybersecurity Canon and teaches a self-developed graduate-level course at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service Security Studies Program.
