Virginia Meehan joined the University of Maryland in May, 2016 and serves as the Director of Federal Relations and as a member of the President's cabinet. In this role, she advocates for the University's federal priorities with Congress, the White House and federal agencies. Virginia previously served as Director of Federal Relations for Northwestern University and as a Government Relations Associate for Lewis-Burke Associates, a consulting firm in Washington, DC. She also spent five years working in the U.S. House of Representatives handling education, science and health policy. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Miami University of Ohio.