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.
Caitlin Welsh cited in L'Express — December 15, 2025
Caitlin Welsh cited in NPR — August 13, 2025
Caitlin Welsh cited in NPR — August 11, 2025
Caitlin Welsh cited in The Baltimore Sun — July 22, 2025
Caitlin Welsh cited in ABC News — June 16, 2025
Caitlin Welsh cited in Washington Examiner — June 16, 2025
Caitlin Welsh cited in CNN — June 16, 2025
Caitlin Welsh cited in CNN — June 16, 2025
Critical Questions by Caitlin Welsh — January 5, 2026
Commentary by Caitlin Welsh, Rose Parker, and Joely Virzi — November 13, 2025
Digital Report by Hadeil Ali, Andrew Friedman, Noam Unger, J. Stephen Morrison, Katherine E. Bliss, Romina Bandura, Caitlin Welsh, David Michel, Rose Parker, and Joely Virzi — November 13, 2025
Podcast Episode by Caitlin Welsh, Rose Parker, and Joely Virzi — November 13, 2025
Event — October 28, 2025
Podcast Episode by Will Todman, Caitlin Welsh, and Mona Yacoubian — October 2, 2025
Analysis by Caitlin Welsh, Zane Swanson, and Joely Virzi — August 22, 2025
Critical Questions by Emma Dodd, Zane Swanson, and Caitlin Welsh — August 13, 2025
Podcast Episode by Emma Dodd, Zane Swanson, and Caitlin Welsh — August 13, 2025
Podcast Episode by Mona Yacoubian, Will Todman, Jon B. Alterman, Caitlin Welsh, Zane Swanson, Michaela Simoneau, Sophia Hirshfield, Hadeil Ali, Andrew Friedman, J. Stephen Morrison, and Leonard Rubenstein — July 30, 2025
