Alexandra Reeve Givens is the CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization fighting to protect civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age. She is a leading advocate for protecting people’s online privacy and access to information, and ensuring emerging technologies advance human rights and democracy.
At CDT, Alex leads an international team of lawyers, policy experts, and technologists who want technology to work for people. CDT advocates to policymakers and the courts in the U.S. and Europe, works with tech companies to improve their policies and product designs, and shapes public opinion on major tech policy issues.
Alex previously served in the United States Senate, as the chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee covering innovation and consumer protection. Prior to joining CDT, she was the founding Executive Director of Georgetown University’s Institute for Technology Law & Policy, where she set the Institute’s research agenda, and directed its public convenings, policy work, and strategic development.
Alex began her career as a litigator at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City, and taught for nine years as an adjunct professor at Columbia Law and Georgetown Law. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC, and been quoted in outlets ranging from the New York Times and the Washington Post to The Atlantic and NPR.
Alex serves on the board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, the leading organization supporting research and resources for individuals and families impacted by paralysis, which is named for her late father, Christopher Reeve. She also serves on the Board of the Urban Institute; on advisory boards for the Aspen Institute, World Economic Forum, and Partnership on AI; and as a judge for the Webby Awards.
She holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.