Michelle C. Washington

Michelle C. Washington is a social scientist and technologist who believes in the value of public service. Her passion is collaborating at the intersection of technology, policy, international affairs, digital equity, and national security. She is an Information Technology Specialist at the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, at the U.S. Department of Defense. Her work focuses on establishing new systems and tools for mission support leveraging data and analytics. Prior to this assignment, Michelle led technology modernization efforts in the Financial Management Directorate in the Office of Secretary of Defense.

Mrs. Washington’s career spans over a decade in foreign policy, risk management, administrative law, public finance, governance, and public administration. Her career began in 2011 in the State Department in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security where she contributed to the Zika and Ebola global health crisis response. She later joined the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance in the Bureau of Office of the Secretary of State. In that role she supported leadership in establishing strategic priorities, building buy-in, aligning resources, and communicating foreign assistance strategies to global audiences. Her work supported key foreign policy areas such as military assistance, economic development, global health programs, human rights initiatives, and humanitarian assistance in Africa, the Middle East, and South America.

Michelle is a 2024 Truman National Security Scholar serving on the Defense Council and a 2024 National Security Fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Michelle serves as the Vice President of Professional Development for Black Professionals in International Affairs (BPIA) and she is a BPIA Colin Powell Leadership Institute Scholar.

Michelle holds a Master of Public Administration, with an International Management focus from George Mason University and a professional certificate in Humanitarian Assistance, Crisis and Conflict from Harvard University. She is a member of The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Military Comptrollers, the Marconi Society, ForbesBLK, and United Nations National Capital Area (UN-NCA) Region.