Eli Sugarman

Eli Sugarman is the Director of the Special Projects at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Eli brings a wealth of experience working at the intersection of security and emerging technologies, as well as deep knowledge of philanthropic strategy. He supports the Foundation president by focusing on unique catalytic opportunities, collaborative grantmaking, and exploring new areas of work.

Most recently, Eli served as a senior fellow with the Special Competitive Studies Project, a Schmidt philanthropy, where he worked on projects related to technology policy, cybersecurity, AI, and co-founded ROOST (Robust Open Online Safety Tools). Prior to that, he served as Vice President at the Meta/Facebook Oversight Board, an experimental online safety accountability mechanism. Eli also previously served as Director of the Hewlett Foundation’s Cyber Initiative, a ten-year, $160 million grantmaking effort that built a more robust and inclusive cybersecurity policy field. Prior to that, he was senior director at an emerging markets advisory firm based in Washington, D.C., where he provided strategic counsel on international policy, regulatory, and business matters to clients globally. Eli began his career as a foreign affairs officer at the U.S. Department of State, where he focused on international security issues.

He currently serves on the boards of ROOST, the Institute for Security and Technology, Girl Security, and is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Global Cybersecurity Group. A San Diego native and graduate of Middlebury College, he holds a J.D. from Stanford University Law School.