Belgard attended Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Stockton University in 1996, and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law in 1999.
Belgard served as a member of the Edgewater Park Township Planning/Zoning Board for four years, before serving as an Edgewater Park Township Committeewoman from 2010-2013. She was elected to the Burlington County Board of Freeholders in 2012. She had unsuccessfully run for the same office in 2010. In 2015, Belgard lost her seat on the Freeholder Board after serving only one term.
In February 2014, Nancy Pelosi hosted a fundraiser for Belgard. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it would spend $1.3 million in ads supporting her campaign. One ad about her opponent’s company, reported by Time, was described by Factcheck.org as deceptive, which the DCCC disputes.
