Margaret O'Mara, an associate professor of history at the University of Washington, specializes in the political, economic, and urban history of modern America. She is the author of Cities of Knowledge: Cold War Science and the Search for the Next Silicon Valley (2005). She teaches, writes, and speaks on subjects such as the modern presidency, high-tech innovation, urbanism, and the global knowledge economy. From 1993 to 1997 she was a staff member to President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, working on urban economic development, health care, and welfare reform. The recipient of a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies, she is currently exploring the globalization of the technology industry since the 1970s.