Wardah Khalid is a writer, speaker, and analyst on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and Muslim American issues. She currently serves as a Media Associate for Church World Service’s Immigration and Refugee Program and is President and Co-Founder of Poligon Education Fund, a non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening American Muslim engagement with Congress.

Wardah has significant UN and U.S. government experience working with and advising members of Congress and their staff, the White House, and State Department on the Iran nuclear negotiations and human rights issues pertaining to the Syrian and the Israel/Palestine conflicts. She traveled to Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel and provided policy recommendations to Congress and National Security Council staff on settlements and reconstruction issues, based on her observations. Her UN efforts include consulting for UN CTED on lone wolf terrorism as well as field work with UNRWA in Jordan, UNDP, and the Permanent Mission of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in New York.

Wardah’s writing and commentary has been featured in outlets including the Washington Post, CNN, The Guardian, NPR, US News & World Report, Al Jazeera America, and Haaretz. She is the author of the “Young American Muslim” blog for the Houston Chronicle and regularly speaks in person, on television, and radio about foreign affairs, civic and political engagement, and Islam. Wardah was featured on ABC’s Nightline as one of the country’s top millennial activists.

Wardah holds a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, focused on Human Rights and Middle East Studies. Additionally, she is a CPA and received a BBA and MS in Accounting from Texas A&M University.