Margaret L. Taylor served as attorney in the office of the legal adviser at the U.S. Department of State. She was responsible for advising department officials on foreign assistance appropriations and implementation issues, including the department’s anticrime, counternarcotics, and peacekeeping programs worldwide, as well as assistance programs in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia.
In previous positions at the U.S. Department of State, Margaret advised on domestic and international legal issues relating to trafficking in persons, extradition, and other international law enforcement matters. While in the legal adviser's office, Margaret negotiated international agreements on law enforcement training and assistance cooperation for peacekeeping operations. She advises regularly on legislative issues related to the Department’s authorizations and appropriations. Margaret has worked in the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
She received her AB from Princeton University and JD from Columbia Law School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Law Review. After graduating from law school, Margaret clerked for Judge Amalya Kearse on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Margaret is spending her IAF tenure at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.