Dr. Dafna H. Rand most recently served as Director of the Office of Foreign Assistance at the U.S. Department of State from 2021-2023. She has also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, as a member of the State Department’s Policy Planning staff, at the National Security Council, and as a professional staff member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Outside government, Dr. Rand has served as Vice President for Policy and Research at Mercy Corps and as Deputy Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University and an A.B. from Harvard University. Dr. Rand has published two books and several articles on international security and political change in the Middle East and North Africa.