Experts

Mara Rudman

James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor
Rudman resume.pdf

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 the James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor 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 serves on the 2022 National Defense Strategy Commission and the Howard University College of Arts and Sciences board of visitors. Rudman 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

bbc headline
US bombs on hold to Israel
The US last week paused a bomb shipment for Israel over concerns it was going ahead with a major ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior US administration official said. Israel has not "fully addressed" US concerns over humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah, the official said. An Israeli military official appeared to play down the US move. We hear analysis from the US and reaction from Israel.
Mara Rudman BBC News
new york times headline
Inside the White House Scramble to Broker a Deal in Gaza
“Biden is continuing all efforts to thread multiple needles at once,” said Mara Rudman, a former deputy Middle East special envoy under President Barack Obama who is now at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.
Mara Rudman New York Times
bbc headline
Blinken: Achieving a truce is the priority
Mara Rudman speaks with BBC World News TV on Secretary Blinken’s Middle East travel, the status and implications of reaching a cease fire agreement that returns Israeli hostages and further increases humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, and why Saudi Arabia might be eager for security guarantees from the United States combined with Israel’s commitment to pursuing a path to a Palestinian state existing alongside the State of Israel.
Mara Rudman BBC World News
bloomberg headline
Middle East Crisis: Israel Vows Response to Iran
Israel vows response to Iran.
Mara Rudman Bloomberg
real clear politics headline
Ukraine’s Freedom Forge
As the U.S. dithers on whether it will continue to arm Ukraine’s fight for freedom, Kyiv is not waiting for Washington to do what it must and restock its arsenal for democracy
Mara Rudman RealClearPolitics
national defense strategy
National defense strategy: Asking what you can do for your country
Congress established the Commission on the National Defense Strategy by statute to examine and make recommendations about national defense strategy. The Commission will issue a report to Congress, the president, and the American public in the summer of 2024 to describe the U.S. strategic threat environment and to inform future budget requests, legislation, appropriations, and Department of Defense operations and planning.

To prepare recommendations for this report, the Commission is holding public conversations and meeting with senior national security leaders, business leaders, members of Congress, and foreign allies and partners. We invite you to join Commission Chair Jane Harman and Vice Chair Eric Edelman, along with commissioners Tom Mahnken, General Jack Keane, Mara Rudman, and Alissa Starzak, for a public conversation moderated by Miller Center Director and CEO William Antholis.
Eric Edelman, Mara Rudman, and William Antholis Miller Center Presents