Saira Saeed

SAIRA SAEED

Class of 1988

Senior Advisor, Public Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State

Saira Saeed is a seasoned foreign policy and international development professional with over two decades of experience working in multilateral, bilateral, and non-governmental organizations. Her extensive career has taken her across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, where she has led U.S. foreign assistance projects in areas such as countering violent extremism, education, gender equality, governance, and health.

Saira has held various roles at the U.S. Department of State for over 10 years and currently serves as a Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Her diplomatic career has seen her posted at U.S. embassies in Jordan, Tunisia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. She has also contributed her expertise to prominent organizations like UNICEF, USAID, and The Asia Foundation.

With a Master’s degree in International Development focusing on Communications and Public Health, and a Bachelor’s in International Studies with a focus on the Middle East from The American University in Washington, D.C., Saira’s educational journey was sparked by McGehee. 

Saira deeply values the school’s motto of Noblesse Oblige and has incorporated this principle into her career by focusing on humanitarian relief and assisting vulnerable populations around the world. (Our founder Louise McGehee instilled an awareness in her young scholars that their education was an immense privilege and that they had a duty to use what they had been given in service to their communities. Noblesse Oblige is the essence of the spirit of community service, itself a foundation of the McGehee experience.)
 

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