Michael Beard

Michael Beard was appointed Chief of Staff for the Office of Global Affairs in July 2023. Prior to this role, since 2009, he has served in several roles at the United Nations Foundation and its sister organization, the Better World Campaign.  For the last 10 years, Mr. Beard served as the Executive Director of United Nations Foundation Advocacy and the Global Health Director for the Better World Campaign, directing the global health advocacy portfolio of UNF’s signature campaigns and initiatives.

Through Girl Up, Shot@Life, United to Beat Malaria and the Universal Access Project, Mike worked to elevate with Congress the importance of the U.S.-UN relationship, especially related to malaria, global immunization programs, girl’s empowerment, global health security, and women and girls’ health issues.  He particularly focused on the work of the UN Population Fund, the World Health Organization and UNICEF, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

From funding for the UN through appropriations bills to securing bipartisan support for the enactment of the Girls Count Act of 2015 and the Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act of 2017, Mike and his team achieved a number of major legislative successes.

In 2016, Mike launched a program to provide critical tools for self-regulation through mindfulness to UN and humanitarian staff in crisis settings. Peace on Purpose is an online and in-person curriculum that has been taught across UN agencies and in places like South Sudan, Zimbabwe and for UN staff working in Syria, Yemen, and Mali. 

During his time at the UN Foundation, Mike has also worked closely with non-governmental organization and other advocacy partners to help elevate the work of the UN and connect it to U.S. foreign policy priorities. 

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2009, Mike worked for five years under Congresswoman Jackie Speier and the late Congressman Tom Lantos in both his personal office and Foreign Affairs Committee office.

Mike lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Audrey, and three-year-old, Edith.