Meet The Team

Maggie Burns

Maggie Burns is the Federal Policy Fellow in Wildlife Conservation Society’s Washington, D.C. Office. Maggie supports the team by drafting outreach and communications materials on U.S. international affairs issues such as combating wildlife trafficking, pandemic prevention and zoonotic disease risk, and deforestation. Maggie liaises with offices on Capitol Hill to establish and maintain relationships to pursue WCS’s legislative priorities.

Before joining WCS, Maggie was a Policy Analyst at the International Fund for Animal Welfare where she worked on an array of issues including the Big Cat Public Safety Act, combating wildlife trafficking online, pandemic prevention, and the PAW and FIN Act of 2019. As a graduate research assistant and practicum team member at American University, Maggie conducted research on the food-water-energy nexus in Israel and the West Bank, and reviewed literature on peacebuilding in Lebanon, refugee migration patterns using GIS, and Indigenous Peoples’ land rights in Brazil. Before moving to D.C. to pursue her Master’s, Maggie worked in PR and marketing in Charleston, SC for two years.

Maggie earned her M.A. in Global Environmental Policy from American University’s School of International Service in Washington, D.C. and Bachelor’s degrees in English (Writing & Publication) and Communications (Public Relations) from Clemson University in Clemson, SC. Maggie resides in Washington, D.C. with her lab mix rescue, Charlotte.