CNAS Welcomes David McKenzie as Director of Communications

Washington, September 9, 2024 – The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is pleased to welcome David McKenzie as its new Director of Communications. In this role, McKenzie will lead CNAS's communications and events team, strategically elevating the Center’s groundbreaking research and analysis to its influential audience, including policymakers, professionals, and the wider public.

“David has spent a career distilling complex international issues into compelling narratives,” said Richard Fontaine, Chief Executive Officer of CNAS. “His experience on the front lines of global reporting, from war zones to geopolitical shifts, gives him a unique skill set that will elevate our communications at CNAS.”

McKenzie joins CNAS following a distinguished 16-year career at CNN, where he served as a senior international correspondent and bureau leader, most recently based in Johannesburg, South Africa. His reporting spanned five continents, with in-depth coverage of major global events, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where he highlighted the human toll, allegations of war crimes, and the experiences of soldiers on the front lines.

Throughout his career, McKenzie has focused on critical global issues, including during his tenure as CNN’s Beijing-based correspondent, in which he reported on China’s rise under Xi Jinping. He has also reported extensively from the Global South, particularly Africa, where his investigative journalism shed light on the competition for influence among global powers.

In addition to his journalism, McKenzie played a key role in launching UNICEF's Africa Services Unit, an innovative communications hub that supported UN country offices across the continent.

McKenzie’s work has earned him multiple prestigious awards, including a Royal Television Society Award for breaking news, the Amnesty International Award, and a Peabody for team coverage of the Arab Spring. McKenzie’s full bio is available here.

McKenzie can be reached at [email protected].