Beginning his career as the Special Assistant to the CEO and President of the Center for a New American Security, 2013 SSP graduate Zachary Hosford had been out of the classroom for about seven years before deciding to pursue a Master’s degree. SSP was the only program that interested him, so he went all in, and began attending school part time while continuing to work full-time for CNAS as a policy analyst.

Like many students who have a full time job outside of the classroom, Zack found SSP’s coursework to be a valuable complement to his daily tasks in the workplace. The program was a great fit, from the flexible hours to the instruction by Tom McNaugher, Keir Lieber, and others. Zack continued working for CNAS after graduation, later transitioning to the Department of Defense in the Asian & Pacific Security Affairs office within OSD Policy. Currently, Zack serves as the Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Edward J. Markey, the Ranking Member of the East Asia subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.