About Us

Mission

The Horizon Institute for Public Service is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that helps the US government navigate our era of rapid technological change by supporting the next generation of emerging technology policy talent.







 

What we do

The pace with which [technology is] moving is so fast and the relative lack of expertise in government is such that we're constantly playing catch-up… We need technologists, innovators, civil society, and others in the room.
Antony Blinken Secretary of State

The US government plays an essential role in developing and governing new technologies, crafting policies to take advantage of their benefits and guard against the harms they pose. But its ability to stay ahead of the curve, spotting opportunities to anticipate and respond to developments in rapidly advancing fields like biotechnology and artificial intelligence, depends crucially on policymakers having access to the requisite expertise. And right now, that access is sorely lacking. 

Government interest in emerging technology policy has skyrocketed in recent years. But the agencies tasked with implementing policies have struggled to find and retain people with the right subject-matter expertise. At the same time, many scientists and technologists are eager to enter public service careers, but they lack the mentoring, connections, and training to make the switch. 

Horizon exists to match the talent demand from policy institutions with the supply of experts passionate about public service. We do this through various programs that provide support to aspiring public servants at all stages of their career transitions, from students interested in their first internship to experienced professionals looking make a mid-career pivot.

Focus areas

Horizon works to build pipelines into public service for experts in emerging technology domains where cross-cutting and interdisciplinary expertise is needed. Developments in areas such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology have wide-ranging impacts across society, the economy, and national security. These technologies are already affecting people in profound ways, and as the frontier advances, their impacts will only increase. To capitalize on their potential while rising to the challenges they create, government requires a technologically savvy talent base — from engineers to lawyers to business leaders. Through our programs, Horizon provides career support to subject-matter experts interested in a wide range of emerging technologies.

  • Artificial intelligence
  • Biotechnology
  • Civic tech
  • Computing
  • Cyber
  • Nuclear
  • Space
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Remco Zwetsloot
Horizon Co-Founder and Executive Director

Horizon’s founding story

“At Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, I saw first-hand the challenge that policy hiring managers faced while trying to bring technical talent into their teams.

Technologists were eager to work in policy and applied in large numbers. We saw their potential, but it was also clear that many didn’t yet have policy skills. Facing critical deadlines, we couldn’t afford to invest in training them, and we instead chose to bring on experienced policy analysts who understood the technology less well. 

We found we were not alone in making this painful tradeoff. Other organizations we talked to faced the same issues. Decisions that made individual sense in the short term led to a collective loss for society in the long term. Too many technologists with promise were failing to make the jump to public service, leaving government unable to stay ahead of the curve. We realized something in the talent market was broken. Horizon is an attempt to address this market failure.”

Partners

We are proud to partner with other public interest organizations that share our mission:

Team

Joan Gass

Co-Founder and Managing Director

Remco Zwetsloot

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Sophia Brown-Heidenreich

Chief of Staff

Ryan Remmel

Director of Talent

Darius Meissner

Director of Content

Mikaela Saccoccio

Director of Programs and Events

Josh Wentzel

Senior Advisor

Michael Cassidy

Senior Advisor

Austin Carson

Senior Advisor

Brooke Hunter

Senior Advisor

Advisory board

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Kari A. Bingen

Director of the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS and former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security

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Elizabeth (Beth) Cameron

Professor of the Practice, Brown University School of Public Health; Former Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the National Security Council

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Richard J. Danzig

Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab; Former Secretary of the Navy

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Michael Kratsios

Managing Director at ScaleAI; Former Chief Technology Officer of the United States and Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering

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Jason Matheny

CEO of the RAND Corporation; Former White House Coordinator for Technology and National Security and IARPA Director

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Nadia Schadlow

Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy at the National Security Council

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Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jack Shanahan

Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security; former inaugural Director of Project Maven and the Joint AI Center (JAIC) at the Department of Defense.

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Andrew Weber

Senior Fellow at the Council on Strategic Risks; Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs

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Supporters


Horizon is funded solely through philanthropic and individual donations;
 we do not accept government or corporate funds. Our funders include Open Philanthropy, which also incubated our fellowship program, the Lonsdale Family Philanthropic Fund, and the Maurice Amado Foundation, among others. You can find our fundraising and gift acceptance policy here. If you are interested in supporting Horizon's activities, please reach out.

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