Anna Birkenbach is a 2005 graduate of Duke University, where she received a B.A. in Public Policy Studies and completed her degree a year ahead of her class with magna cum laude honors. During her time at Duke, she focused largely on the study of economic disparity in America as a function of race, incorporating knowledge gained in courses on economics, statistics, psychology, and social history, as well as graduate-level coursework on poverty, to develop an integrated analysis of the issue. As a student, Anna also volunteered at a local soup kitchen on weekends and worked one summer as an intern at the National Center for Learning Disabilities in New York City. Her education included a term spent living in Venice, where she studied art, literature, and Italian culture. Anna joined Competition Policy Associates in order to gain more quantitative experience before pursuing a graduate degree in business or public policy.

In her spare time, Anna enjoys writing, drawing, playing guitar and piano, working out, and reading books and newspapers in Italian to maintain her fluency in the language.