Experts

Mara Rudman

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

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
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
University of Virginia’s Mara Rudman discusses Israel's attack in Qatar.
Mara Rudman Bloomberg TV
Mara Rudman discusses Netanyahu's cabinet decisions and Gaza.
Mara Rudman BBC News
With a growing number of Western countries — including Australia — moving to recognise Palestinian statehood, the United States is finding itself increasingly isolated from its allies over its continued support of Israel's campaign in Gaza.
Mara Rudman ABC Australia
Mara Rudman discusses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to take control of Gaza.
Mara Rudman Haaretz