Washington, D.C. – The Cato Institute, a public policy research organization, has announced a dedicated department for External Affairs.

The External Affairs department will prioritize expanding the audience for the institute’s research to support Cato’s mission of moving public policy in the direction of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. This commitment extends throughout the public policy landscape, including universities, non-profits, corporations, international groups, and other interested stakeholders.

External Affairs is under the current Vice President for Government Affairs, Chad Davis. Davis utilizes a wealth of experience in government and external affairs, making him a perfect fit to supervise this new entity and strategize future outreach expansion. While government affairs professionals at Cato have carried out external affairs duties, this is the first time the organization has a dedicated department.

“We are thrilled to expand our outreach with a dedicated team to external affairs.” said Chad Davis, Cato Institute Vice President for Government Affairs. “We look forward to being a resource and sharing the wonderful work of our scholars.”

Simone Shenny joined the department as the Director of External Affairs after over four years in communications at the Cato Institute. Previously, she was a local television news producer in several television markets. She has a master’s in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown. Isabella DeSheplo joined as the Manager of External Affairs and previously worked in government affairs and political programming at the Consumer Technology Association. She has a master’s in political science from the University of Alabama.

The External Affairs department will play a crucial role in overseeing the institute’s Congressional Fellowship program, which provides opportunities for congressional staff to engage in public policy discussions and analysis with leading experts. Additionally, the department will be responsible for planning and executing Cato’s government affairs events, which serve as platforms for promoting Cato’s research and principles.

The Cato Institute External Affairs team can be reached at sshenny@​cato.​org and idesheplo@​cato.​org.