UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — J.B. Branch’s career has taken him from classrooms and courtrooms to the center of federal technology policy. After working in education, juvenile justice and foster care advocacy, and privacy policy, he now serves as director of federal AI governance and technology policy at Public Citizen, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy organization focused on public-interest issues and government accountability.
Branch, a graduate of Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts and Schreyer Honors College, was recently selected for the Council on Foreign Relations’ Stephen M. Kellen Term Member Program (CFR), a five-year program designed to cultivate emerging leaders in foreign policy and international affairs.
In the Q&A below, Branch reflects on his path from University Park to D.C., and how his liberal arts education continues to shape his approach to artificial intelligence policy.
Q: What does being selected for the Council on Foreign Relations’ Stephen M. Kellen Term Member Program mean to you?
Branch: CFR has long played an important role in shaping thoughtful discussions on U.S. foreign policy and global affairs, and it’s humbling to join such an accomplished network of leaders from government, academia, business and civil society.
I’m especially excited for the opportunity to learn from others, contribute to conversations about the future of AI governance, and help ensure technology policy is part of broader discussions about America’s role in the world. It’s an acknowledgment of the work I’ve done at the international governance level, but also of the rising importance of AI.
Q: Your career has taken you through justice reform, privacy policy and now AI governance. How did your liberal arts education prepare you to work across such different issues?
Branch: A liberal arts education teaches you how to think, not just what to think. Penn State gave me the research, writing and critical-thinking skills to tackle complex problems, along with an appreciation for history, ethics and human behavior.
While the policy issues I’ve worked on have evolved, the underlying skill set has remained the same: understanding how institutions affect people’s lives and developing thoughtful, evidence-based solutions.
Q: AI policy sits at the crossroads of law, ethics and public life. How does that broader perspective shape your day-to-day work in Washington?
Branch: One of the biggest misconceptions about AI policy is that it’s primarily a technical issue. Any policy issue is fundamentally about people.
Every day, I work on questions about fairness, accountability, privacy, democracy and the role technology should play in society. My liberal arts education taught me to approach those questions from multiple perspectives, consider their broader societal implications, and communicate complex ideas in ways that help policymakers make better decisions. Those skills are just as important in Washington as understanding the technology itself.
Q: What campus experiences stand out from your time at Penn State?
Branch: Several experiences at Penn State stand out as pivotal. As a Schreyer Honors College student, I was challenged academically and encouraged to think beyond the classroom. Serving as a Lion Ambassador, studying abroad at St. Catherine’s College at Oxford, participating in the Penn State Washington Program, and working as a research assistant for several professors all helped shape my interest in public policy, research and leadership. Those experiences laid the foundation for the work I do today at the intersection of AI, technology and governance.
Q: Was there a class, professor or moment in the College of the Liberal Arts that shaped how you approach your work today?
Branch: Adam Nye, associate teaching professor of political science, had a lasting impact on me. He was an engaging and thoughtful professor who made learning genuinely enjoyable, but what I remember most is the kindness and understanding he showed me during a difficult period in my life.
His compassion reinforced that great leaders and educators are measured not only by what they teach, but by how they treat people. That’s something I still carry with me in how I approach my work and the kind of workplace I strive to help create.
Q: What would you tell a current Liberal Arts student interested in a career in public interest advocacy or policy?
Branch: Find the issue that makes you excited to come to work every day — the one that keeps you up at night, frustrates you or makes you want to fight for change. Public interest work isn’t always easy, but passion gives you the resilience to keep going.
There are countless challenges waiting for the next generation to solve, and the people who make the greatest impact are often the ones who care deeply enough to stay in the fight.
Q: Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?
Branch: I enjoy cycling, traveling, writing and the occasional creative project. I’m currently working my way through a new LEGO set and writing a few books. I also love to travel and recently spent time in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia. I’m a big fan of live music, too, and recently saw Death Cab for Cutie in concert.
Q: What else would you like fellow alumni to know about your path since Penn State?
Branch: If there’s one thing I’ve learned since graduating, it’s that very few careers follow a straight line. Early on, a professor told me they didn’t think I knew what I was doing with my life because I had chosen Teach For America. It stung, but in hindsight, I didn’t have every step mapped out — and that was OK. I simply knew I wanted to serve communities and do meaningful work.
That path led me from education to juvenile justice and foster care advocacy, then to privacy and technology policy, and ultimately to AI governance. Each experience built on the last in ways I never could have predicted.
I’d encourage fellow alumni not to worry about having everything figured out. Stay curious, keep learning, and trust that your career will evolve in ways you can’t yet imagine.
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