TCN Civic Engagement Fellow · 2026 Cohort
Cynthia S. Kao
USAF Reserve · Public Affairs Specialist
Washington, D.C.
Service
USAF Reserve
Home
Washington, D.C.
Project
MilVet TED-C
Focus Area
Healthy Democratic Institutions
About Cynthia
A builder at the intersection of service, technology, ethics, and resilience.
Cynthia S. Kao is the current Executive Director of Operation Code, and a 2X tech founder and CEO. Since 2023, she has been working to prevent extremism, radicalization, and political violence through a public health perspective, and continues to champion innovative tools, effective communication strategies, and the value of cultural evolution in the workforce and tech ethics. She is also a documentary filmmaker, the co-host of the Veteran Founder Podcast, and a contributing writer at Forbes Magazine.
She served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a Public Affairs Specialist, deploying twice overseas, and spent the first 15 years of her career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in trauma, addiction, and resilience therapy. Since leaving healthcare, over the last 16 years, she has built over 180 software applications and led multiple global product teams — making technical platforms user-friendly and human-centered while transforming complex work cultures to embody inclusive excellence.
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Cynthia now calls Washington, D.C. home. She is an active advocate for the military community and mental-health awareness, and enjoys all things outdoors, photography, travel, time with her three grown children, and the company of her Russian Blue cat, Chairman Meow.
The Initiative
MilVet Tech Ethics & Democracy Coalition
An encrypted reporting platform and policy advocacy network for veterans in tech who witness ethical violations — addressing AI governance and digital democracy at the policy level.
The Military Veteran Tech Ethics and Democracy Coalition, or TED-C, is a consortium of military service members, veterans, and allies working in technology careers who aim to raise awareness of the ethical implications of the tools they build.
The mission is to provide an encrypted avenue for tech workers to report concerns and violations, verify those reports, deliver ongoing education on ethical risks, and advocate for policy change and governance — at a moment when citizen privacy and autonomous AI without guardrails sit at the center of global debate.
Focus Area Healthy Democratic Institutions
TED-C connects to TCN’s focus on Healthy Democratic Institutions. As AI governance and data ethics increasingly shape who has voice, access, privacy, and power in democratic life, veterans inside the technology sector bring both technical fluency and a sworn commitment to constitutional principles. Cynthia’s project is rooted in that intersection: accountability, public trust, and democratic guardrails for systems that increasingly shape civic life.
Follow the Fellowship
One of five veterans building civic action in their communities.
Cynthia is one of five veterans in TCN’s inaugural Civic Engagement Fellowship cohort. Follow the full cohort as they build community-based civic initiatives across the country.