Prior to joining BGS, Mr. Cardenas served as a senior CIA analyst for nearly a decade, including roles within the China Mission Center and the Transnational and Technology Mission Center. In these capacities, he led Intelligence Community analysis on PRC technology, trade, export controls, and leadership dynamics. He provided strategic insights to senior U.S. and foreign officials on China’s industrial policies and research and development efforts, and served as a lead analyst for biotechnology and critical mineral issues.
Mr. Cardenas brings extensive national security advisory experience, having served as a President’s Daily Briefer for U.S. Cabinet members within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. His briefing portfolio also included the National Security Council, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and U.S. military leadership in active-war environments. Prior to CIA, Mr. Cardenas was a biomedical engineer at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, where he conducted and published research on traumatic brain injuries related to blast exposure.
Mr. Cardenas graduated from Brown University with a Sc.B. in Biomedical Engineering and a B.A. in Classics, with a concentration in Ancient Greek.