Kate Birch
Program Coordinator, Intelligence Studies Project
Ms. Kate Birch serves as the Program Coordinator of the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project where she oversees the center’s event programming, communications, and other administrative responsibilities. Ms. Birch earned an MA in Global Policy Studies and an MA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the LBJ School of Public Affairs in May of 2026. Throughout her graduate school career, she interned with both the U.S. Department of State’s Global Engagement Center and Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor as well as various think tanks based in Washington D.C. and Central Europe. Additionally, Ms. Birch conducted fieldwork with Russian-language speakers in Europe following her semester studying abroad at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, Germany. These professional opportunities enabled Ms. Birch to deepen her regional expertise on security and political issues pertaining to Eurasia (with a specific focus on Russia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus) as well as professionalize her understanding of foreign malign actors’ influence activities. Overall, Ms. Birch aspires to one day work in the foreign policy and/or national security communities in a role that enables her to utilize her regional expertise, topical areas of expertise, cross-cultural engagement abilities, and hard-earned Russian language skills.