Laura Malenas leads the delegation’s engagement with U.S. policymakers, administration officials, and Congressional offices to inform their understanding of humanitarian action in armed conflict. In this role, she provides U.S. interlocutors with the ICRC’s frontline operational insights to increase their understanding of conflict dynamics, the applicability of international humanitarian law, and the humanitarian needs of conflict-affected populations. Prior to joining the ICRC in 2022, Ms. Malenas served as a political officer in the U.S. Foreign Service for more than two decades. She holds degrees from Davidson College and Columbia University and was a Fulbright Scholar in Egypt studying mass communications.