Maia Comeau is a seasoned public affairs and government relations leader with over two decades of experience in international strategy, institution building, and leadership development. She is known for her facilitative leadership style, strategic insight, and passion for bridging divides through civic engagement and meaningful dialogue. Maia is both a member of IF’s Board of Trustees, and its governance team, the Intellectual Development Committee (IDC).
From 2004 to 2015, Maia served at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), where she founded the organisation’s Congressional Affairs department and, later, the Richard G. Lugar Institute for Diplomacy and Congress. Under her leadership, the Congressional Affairs team expanded to seven staff with an operating budget of $1.2 million, delivering programming connecting U.S. lawmakers with transatlantic policy issues. In 2013, she launched the Lugar Institute to build bridges between the U.S. Congress and the international diplomatic community. Maia also championed diversity and inclusion initiatives across GMF, founding its first affinity group on women’s leadership.
A passionate advocate for democratic engagement, Maia has pivoted her global expertise toward strengthening democracy at home. “I had a wake-up moment: ‘Don’t we spend any time taking our own advice?’ That’s when I realized we need to focus on building democracy at home, not just abroad,” she says.
As well as her dual role at IF, Maia is a member of the Board of IMMAP and the National Civic League. She is Senior Fellow with The Ohio State University, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, and The Lugar Center. She co-founded Keepers of the Commons, and is a graduate of the 2016 class of Presidential Leadership Scholars, led by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Before entering public service, Maia began her career as a professional ballet dancer, culminating with a stint at Complexions Dance Company in New York. She is the proud owner of a historic farm in central Pennsylvania, where she is collecting a barnful of animals and tools.
