Ms. Wagner has more than 30 years experience in international development. After 6 years living and working in Bolivia she researched social assessment and governance in the Andean Region during her graduate work at Georgetown University. She developed and taught new courses that addressed international development as Visiting Assistant Professor at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University since 1987.

From 1995-2001, Ms. Wagner joined the World Bank. As special assistant to the Vice Presidents Johannes Linn and Mark Malloch Brown, inter alia,she participated in the development and implementation of the strategy on cultural assets for poverty alleviation for the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region and designed and helped implement new outreach strategies with academia, NGO's, governments, the private sector and the media. At the request of the Bank's president, James Wolfenssohn, Ms.Wagner wrote a report on the impact of illegal drugs on development in the Latin American Region.

After her return to Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in 2001, Ms. Wagner joined President De Gioia's Taskforce on International Development and worked with students, faculty, administrators to create the university's first Certificate in International Development in 2006 which she is currently directing.