Previous to her current appointment, Paula Dobriansky was the Vice President and Director of the Washington office of the Council on Foreign Relations. She served as the Associate Director of the Bureau of Policy and Programs at the U.S. Information Agency from 1990 to 1993 and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs from 1987 to 1990. From 1980 to 1987, she served in the office of European and Soviet Affairs at the National Security Council. She is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and received both her Master's degree and Ph.D. from Harvard University.