Sidney Olinyk

About Sidney Olinyk

Sidney is the Founder & Executive Chair of Duco, whose mission is to empower leading companies to operate safely, securely, and responsibly by mobilizing the world’s leading experts.A former Obama Administration political appointee, Sidney served as the Chief of Staff for Middle East Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense where she was the principal advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy and supported the Secretary of Defense in developing strategy, implementing organizational change, and managing interagency coordination across a number of U.S. national security priorities.Sidney’s private sector experience includes serving as Vice President at Sayara International, an international development organization focused on the Middle East and Afghanistan, and as the first employee at a US-based drone startup called Measure. From 2010 to 2013, Sidney directed the Leadership Development Department at the Truman National Security Project. Sidney is an avid explorer and globetrotter and has visited over 55 countries and 30 U.S. National Parks. She has led foreign policy delegations in Turkey and Azerbaijan, developed and implemented youth programs at a refugee camp in Kenya, was selected as an Emerging Leader at the German Marshall Fund’s Atlantic Dialogues conference in Morocco, contributed to the Japan Foundation’s Young Researcher Program in Tokyo and Kyoto, and studied abroad at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy.Sidney holds a M.Sc. in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a dual B.A. in International Studies and Media & Government Studies from American University in Washington, D.C.

Experience

1. Visiting Fellow

   National Security Institute Nsi

   Jan 2018 — Present

Education

• The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

  Master of Science, global politics

• American University

  Dual Bachelor of Arts, international studies, media and the government