
Caitlin Welsh is the director of the Global Food and Water Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where she analyzes the drivers and consequences of food and water insecurity around the world, including for U.S. national security. Her specific areas of focus include the impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine on global food security and nutrition, food insecurity in the U.S. military, and the coherence between U.S. global water security policy and U.S. global food security policy. Prior to joining CSIS, Ms. Welsh served for over 12 years in the U.S. government, including at the National Security Council and National Economic Council as director for global economic engagement with responsibility for the G7 and G20, and at the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Food Security, where she served as acting director. Ms. Welsh was a presidential management fellow at the U.S. African Development Foundation and a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. She has testified before Congress on global food security on multiple occasions, and her analysis has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, NPR, PBS, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Financial Times, Foreign Policy, BBC, Newsweek, and other outlets. Ms. Welsh received her BA from the University of Virginia and MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and hails from Erie, Pennsylvania.
Media Queries
- H. Andrew Schwartz
- Chief Communications Officer
- 202.775.3242
- aschwartz@csis.org
- Paige Montfort
- Assistant Director of Communications, External Relations
- 202.775.3173
- pmontfort@csis.org
In the News
A conversation on food security and national security
Caitlin Welsh in Axios — October 16, 2023
Here’s one big reason (among many) for continued U.S. support of Ukraine
Caitlin Welsh in Washington Post — October 8, 2023
Russia wields ‘silent weapon’ of grain exports to weaken Ukraine
Caitlin Welsh in CNN — October 5, 2023
Israeli ambassador protests as Iranian president speaks - as it happened
Caitlin Welsh in The Guardian — September 19, 2023
Russia benefits from throttling Ukrainian grain traffic
Caitlin Welsh in Successful Farming — September 18, 2023
Rifts over Ukraine disrupt UN summit on crises in the global south
Caitlin Welsh in The Guardian — September 17, 2023
Great Power Rivalry Looms Over Ukraine Grain Deal
Caitlin Welsh in The Wall Street Journal — July 28, 2023
Heat, War and Export Bans: Global Food Threats Are On the Rise
Caitlin Welsh in Bloomberg — July 22, 2023
All Caitlin Welsh Content
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China's Food Security Challenges
Event — December 6, 2023
The United States' Role in Combatting Global Food Insecurity: Key Findings from the 2023 SOFI Report
Event — November 14, 2023
The Power of Cross-border Financial Flows: Reflections on the 2023 Global Philanthropy Tracker
Event — November 3, 2023
Replenishing the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development with IFAD President Alvaro Lario
Podcast Episode by Caitlin Welsh — November 3, 2023

Reflecting on a Food Systems Approach to Today’s Challenges with Dr. Lawrence Haddad
Podcast Episode by Caitlin Welsh — October 6, 2023

What do we make of 2023’s summer of climate shocks?
Podcast Episode by J. Stephen Morrison Stephanie Segal Joseph Majkut and Caitlin Welsh — September 15, 2023

Why Is Russia Blocking Ukraine's Food Exports?
Critical Questions by Caitlin Welsh Joseph Glauber and Emma Dodd — September 15, 2023
“Why Is Russia Blocking Ukraine’s Food Exports?”: Audio Brief with Caitlin Welsh
Podcast Episode by Caitlin Welsh — September 15, 2023

Press Briefing: Previewing the High-Level Week of UNGA 78
Event — September 14, 2023
2023’s Summer of Climate Shocks
Event — September 11, 2023