Dr. Dafna H. Rand is the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL). Previously, she served in numerous roles across the State Department, including: Director, Office of Foreign Assistance (F); Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, DRL; Policy Planning Staff (S/P) member. From 2017-2021, she served as the Vice President of Policy and Research at Mercy Corps, a non-governmental organization working in 40 countries to support communities in need. She also served at the National Security Council during the Obama administration. Dr. Rand is the former Deputy Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and a former professional staff member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). She started her career in government as the foreign policy and defense legislative assistant to Senator Frank R. Lautenberg. Dr. Rand’s research has focused on international security and democratic reform in the Middle East and North Africa, including two books on the subject. She earned a PhD in political science at Columbia University and an AB at Harvard University.