Dorothy McAuliffe

Former U.S. Special Representative for Global Partnerships, Department of State Former First Lady of the Commonwealth of Virginia

Dorothy McAuliffe is a senior leader with extensive experience across federal and state government, as well as the nonprofit sector, with a career spanning global diplomacy, state and national initiatives, stakeholder engagement and public-private partnership building.

A presidential appointee, she served as the U.S. Department of State’s Special Representative for Global Partnerships, where she led the agency’s engagement with the private sector and civil society to advance U.S. foreign policy. In this role, she spearheaded programs in climate technology and entrepreneurship, the blue economy, digital transformation and deep technology, career opportunities for women and girls in STEM and innovation initiatives across a broad range of sectors focused on economic development.

As first lady of Virginia, McAuliffe championed childhood nutrition and food security, leading to a historic investment by the Virginia legislature to expand school meal programs. She chaired the No Kid Hungry Virginia campaign in partnership with Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit, resulting in 12 million school breakfasts annually for Virginia students and increasing access to afterschool and summer meals for children in need. McAuliffe chaired the National Governors Association Spouses’ Program (from 2016 to 2017), convening the first-ever joint session with governors and first spouses to encourage integration of child hunger and food security into state education and workforce agendas. She also worked with Virginia colleges and universities to promote and remove barriers to national service for young people. Her efforts resulted in Virginia’s becoming the first state to be designated an Employer of National Service, encouraging alumni to apply for jobs within state government and promoting that valuable talent pool across the private, public and nonprofit sectors in the Commonwealth. She led efforts strengthening Virginia’s support for military families—particularly military-connected students in public schools.

Prior to joining the State Department, McAuliffe was national policy advisor for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, building cross-sector partnerships, engaging stakeholders and advancing policies to combat childhood hunger nationwide. She has significant nonprofit and for-profit governance experience, previously serving on numerous boards, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, Service Year and FoodCorps.

She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Catholic University of America and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.