Kelly Cummins

• School of International Affairs

• M.S. INTA 2000

Kelly Oliver Cummins is an associate assistant deputy administrator at National Nuclear Security Administration. Previously, Kelly held several positions in NNSA related to nonproliferation, including managing the effort to remove highly enriched uranium and weapons-usable plutonium from countries around the world. She is seen here with Senator Nunn and Secretary of Energy Moniz.

How did Tech and INTA help you get where you are?

My Tech and INTA professors helped me hone my analytical and critical thinking skills that I needed to launch my federal career in national security.  Because of INTA’s reputation for providing graduates with both policy and technical skills, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recruited for its nonproliferation fellows program at INTA and provided me with my first job opportunity with federal government.  This first key step in my career was made possible in a large part to the relationship that INTA has established with the NNSA.

What advice you would give current students at Tech as well as the Sam Nunn School specifically?

I would highly recommend taking classes through one of INTA’s overseas programs, as it becomes harder to find time for these opportunities as your career develops.  I will never forget the months I spent in Shanghai studying China’s political and economic issues.  Furthermore, if you are seeking a career in international affairs, your resume stand outs if you have experience studying and living abroad.

What is something that you got from studying INTA at Tech?

In addition to what I mentioned above, I developed long-lasting friendships with some of my classmates who share my love of travel and new experiences.