 Cavanaugh has served repeatedly as a senior scholar for IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board).He was a founding board member of the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship (HCCS) in 2007 and until 2013 developed the curriculum for its annual student congress.From 2012-2016, he was a member of the advisory council of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Kennan Institute.