Dr. Mischa Thompson is Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE, also known as the Helsinki Commission). The Helsinki Commission is a Congressionally created U.S. agency mandated by law to monitor compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and other agreements adopted by the 57 participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Dr. Thompson works with both the Helsinki Commission’s Congressional Members and the Department of State on OSCE matters with a focus on Western Europe, including the European Union. As a specialist in intergroup relations, Dr. Thompson also advises the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance and Commissioners on security, economic, and human rights issues related to diverse (racial, ethnic, religious, migrant, refugee, etc.) populations in the OSCE region, including corporate citizenship/social responsibility. Dr. Thompson also serves as the liaison to bipartisan initiatives co-founded by the Commission that focus on inclusive societies, including the Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conference (TMPLC) and the Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network (TILN).
Prior to being appointed to the Commission, Dr. Thompson served as a Professional Staff Member and Congressional Fellow within the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, where she worked on human rights, foreign policy, appropriations, trade, economic development, and security issues.
A former Fulbright Scholar to Germany and a prestigious National Science Foundation, German Marshall Fund, and AAAS/APA Fellow, Dr. Thompson holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, where her research focused on intergroup relations in the United States and Western Europe. Dr. Thompson received her B.S. from Howard University in Washington, DC, and is originally from Detroit, Michigan.