Mara Rudman

Professor of Practice

Fast Facts

Served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, including as deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs
Director, Ripples of Hope Project
Former deputy envoy and chief of staff for the Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, U.S. Department of State
Expertise in foreign affairs, diplomacy, national security, the Middle East

Areas Of Expertise

Foreign Affairs
American Defense and Security
War and Terrorism
Middle East
Governance
The Presidency

Mara Rudman is a professor of practice at the Miller Center, where she directs the Ripples of Hope Project aimed at identifying practical approaches to help democratic leaders resolve key challenges. She previously served a term as a Miller Center Schlesinger Distinguished Professor.

Rudman served on the 2022 National Defense Strategy Commission. She is a member of the Board of Visitors for the Howard University College of Arts and Sciences. She also consults for Democracy Forward.

Rudman’s government positions have included serving as deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs in the Obama and Clinton administrations; deputy envoy for the Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace at the U.S. Department of State; assistant administrator for the Middle East at the U.S. Agency for International Development; and chief counsel to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Previously, Rudman was executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress and senior vice president for policy/projects at Business Executives for National Security. She also led Quorum Strategies, a geopolitical strategic advisory firm. Rudman has been a guest on numerous TV and radio shows and has written for and been quoted in various print publications. She received her BA from Dartmouth College and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Mara Rudman News Feed

Toward a more responsible and effective presidency

UVA’s nonpartisan Miller Center of Public Affairs convenes presidential experts—dozens of leading Democrats and Republicans, scholars from across the country, and top journalists—for the second biennial Conference on the American Presidency, a series of constructive conversations about the modern presidency.

Guian McKee, Rachel Potter, Andrew Rudalevige, William Antholis, Alexander Bick, Everett Eissenstat, Mara Rudman, Sarah Wilson, Sidney Milkis, Louisa Terrell, Ashley Deeks, Eric Edelman, Saikrishna Prakash, Russell Riley, Allan Stam, and Philip Zelikow Miller Center Presents

How to write a US National Security Strategy

What should the Trump administration prioritize in its upcoming strategy? How can the United States best adapt to new and emerging threats?

Mara Rudman Atlantic Council

Putin 'Testing' How Far He Can Take Actions in Europe

Mara Rudman, professor at the University of Virginia's Miller Center and a former US diplomat, said Russian President Vladimir Putin is consistently testing the US to see how far he can go in Ukraine and in threatening NATO.

Mara Rudman Bloomberg Balance of Power

The Trump doctrine: America First revisited

Given recent months of international upheaval, the Miller Center convenes a panel of experts in foreign policy, defense, diplomacy, and international economics to discuss the state of U.S. foreign policy. Panelists will focus on the war in Ukraine, the state of Middle East tensions, the Trump administration’s approach to tariffs, and what all of this tells about President Trump’s evolving foreign policy doctrine.

William Antholis, Jeffrey Legro, Philip Potter, Mara Rudman, Stephen Mull, and John Owen Miller Center Presents