Preston has served in a variety of national security positions, including as an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and an aide to the first two Directors of National Intelligence. Preston has particularly excelled at communicating the business of intelligence as a CIA Spokesperson, Chief of CIA’s Public Communication Branch in its Office of Public Affairs, and as Chief of Communications for the Agency’s Directorate of Digital Innovation. In these roles Preston helped navigate the CIA through multiple external crises and a large internal modernization effort. Preston oversaw the CIA’s public social media team and has presented on social media strategy at major conferences. He also helped drive CIA communications surrounding its diversity and inclusion initiatives.
In addition to working with several cybersecurity, technology, crisis, diversity and public affairs clients, Preston helps lead the firm’s work supporting companies to be more resilient against disinformation. In preparation for the 2020 elections, Preston counseled State Election officials on strategies to counter disinformation as an author and advisor for the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center Defending Digital Democracy Project’s Election Influence Operations Playbook.
Preston holds a Masters in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Harvard University. He returned to Harvard from 2013-2014 as a National Security Fellow and Belfer Center Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.