Experts

Mara Rudman

Fast Facts

  • Served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, including as deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs
  • Former 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 practitioner senior fellow at the Miller Center, where she formerly directed 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

In a special pop-up event, Miller Center experts discuss the unfolding crisis in Iran and the broader Middle East.
Mara Rudman, Eric Edelman, Philip Potter, and William Antholis Miller Center Presents
Mara Rudman discusses US-Iran talks.
Mara Rudman Bloomberg
Mara Rudman calls upon US history to show how like-minded partners can shape effective industrial policy for global competitiveness.
Mara Rudman Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation
How a useful practical idea, the Board of Peace, as proposed initially in the Gaza 20 point plan last year has gone very wrong.
Mara Rudman BBC News
University of Virginia's Mara Rudman responds to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Ukraine-Russia peace talks, saying "the Ukrainians were caught completely off guard by this proposal.
Mara Rudman Bloomberg TV
As America’s high-stakes trade games with China continue—with access to rare earths and critical minerals as a central flashpoint—and as the U.S. government is now open again, at least through the end of January, Congress faces another pivotal decision on equipping America with tools to compete.
Mara Rudman Notes from the Miller Center