Episode 15: Ali King on Building a Career with Purpose in Tech and Policy
This week on Careers & Coffee Talk, I sit down with Ali King, a leader who’s helped shape national cybersecurity policy and built a career grounded in purpose and service. Ali opens up about what she’s learned working across government, Congress, and the tech industry — from navigating high-pressure environments to making complex topics clear and actionable.
It’s a thoughtful, energizing conversation about finding meaning in your work, leading with curiosity, and staying grounded while driving change.
Helpful resources mentioned in this episode:
https://thecyberguild.org/uwic/
https://a.co/d/0eolZwD
https://marktwainmuseum.org/product/mark-twains-notebook/
About Alison King
As a Vice President of Government Affairs at Forescout Technologies, Alison is responsible for the company’s relationships with Congress and the Executive Branch. She leads all legislative functions, federal policy, and strategic partnerships. Under Alison’s leadership, Forescout is an OT Cyber Coalition Board Member and played a key role in establishing this policy 501(c)(6), which represents a diverse group of 17 leading industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) cybersecurity vendors covering the entire OT lifecycle.
Before joining Forescout, Alison spent over a decade in the federal civil service, working for the Department of the Navy (DoN), Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8) as a Defense Fellow, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) as the Strategic Communications and Legislative Director, and the Director of the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a Legislative Advisor. Notable policy accomplishments include the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which contained over 26 CSC recommendations and represents one of our nation's most comprehensive and forward-looking pieces of national cybersecurity legislation, and the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA), a key policy objective for CISA.
Alison holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Relations from George Mason University (GMU), a Master of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from GMU, and a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University. She is a 2024 Foundation for the Freedom of Democracy (FDD) National Security Fellow, a Senior Fellow at Auburn University’s McCrary Institute, and a Member of the Board of Advisors at the Technology Advancement Center (TAC) in Columbia, Maryland.