Margaret Walrod is a foreign affairs professional with an extensive background in the federal government and overseas work, including at the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs and the U.S. Department of State. With experience working for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and a degree in history and political science from The George Washington University, Walrod has built up a well-rounded understanding of U.S. government processes and international relations.

Walrod has studied Mandarin at Peking University and has acquired professional fluency in Mandarin and Urdu, giving her unique cross-cultural communication skills. She is skilled in building and maintaining strategic networks, policy analysis, and program/project oversight to ensure compliance with bureau and agency objectives. With excellent oral and written communication skills, including leading public engagement events at US Embassy Beijing and publishing market research reports for the US Foreign Commercial Service, Walrod has demonstrated her ability to collaborate with subject matter experts, academics, practitioners, and stakeholders to synthesize information and formulate comprehensive solutions.

Walrod has worked for Mercy Corps and The Advisory Board Company as a Graduate Research Assistant, Marketing Associate, and Relationship Management Specialist, respectively. She has also worked as a Research Scholar at the University of Zurich and as a Legislative Intern in the Office of Senator John Kerry at the United States Senate. She is a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State and has formerly worked as an Analyst at the Bureau of International Information Programs and a Specialist at the Bureau of Consular Affairs.