Emily Tenuta

Emily Tenuta is a former development manager for CNAS. Tenuta lead the daily stewardship for and prospecting of an ever-growing corporate donor portfolio, manages all development-related events, and spearheads project outreach and funding campaigns for CNAS’ seven research programs. Tenuta also lead the sponsorship efforts for CNAS’ annual National Security Conference and serves as a Salesforce administrator of the Center’s customer relationship management database. In addition, Tenuta was a community manager for CNAS’ Make Room Initiative, which aims to build a diverse and inclusive national security workforce.

Prior to joining CNAS in 2017, Tenuta was a research assistant for the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. Partnering with Commander (Ret.) Patrick Paterson and Ambassador Adam Blackwell, she researched civilian-military relations in Colombia, International Criminal Court cases and special tribunals, U.S. foreign engagement in Central America, and international humanitarian law.

Tenuta earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Villanova University. Her academic interests include the ethics of war, international law, and political philosophy, and she has a professional working proficiency in Spanish. Tenuta is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professions (AFP), Washington, D.C. Metro Chapter and Villanova’s Public Policy Society.