Lauren Harper is a national security researcher, open government advocate, artist, and writer.
Born and raised in Tucson, AZ, Lauren received her bachelor's degree from Scripps College in Claremont, CA, and two master's degrees - one in Middle Eastern studies and the other in public policy analysis - from the University of Chicago.
Based in Baltimore, MD she writes regularly about overclassification, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), national security issues, and open government for Freedom of the Press Foundation, where she serves as the first Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy. Her targeted-FOIA projects for her previous organization, the National Security Archive, focused on the US role in Afghanistan, as well as American extremism and the January 6th attack.
