Brainerd is the Deputy Director of International Affairs of the US Treasury Department, and her position was confirmed by the US Senate. Brainerd promotes the government's agenda, strengthens American leadership, promotes global economic growth, creates economic opportunities for Americans, and solves the challenges of transnational economy, including development, climate change, food security and financial inclusion. In the Clinton administration, she served as the Deputy National Economic Adviser and the Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs, coping with challenges such as the Asian financial crisis and China's accession to the World Trade Organization. She is also a Sherpa of the Group of Eight in the United States. Recently, brainerd was the vice president of the Brookings Institution and the founding director of the global economic and development plan, where she delivered Bernard L. Schwartz's speech on the international economy. Previously, brainerd was an associate professor of applied economics at the Si Long School of Management at MIT. Brainerd also works for McKinsey & Company, making small loans in West Africa. Brainerd received her master's and doctor's degrees in economics from Harvard University. She is a researcher at the National Science Foundation. She graduated from Wesleyan University with the highest honors. ? She is also a recipient of the White House Scholarship and Scholarship Committee for International Foreign Affairs.