Social Dialogue Sector (ED/DIALOGUE)

Ms Sandra POLASKI
Executive Director
Telephone: (+41.22) 799.6379
E-mail: eddialogue@ilo.org

Ms Sandra Polaski (United States) was appointed Executive Director of the Social Dialogue Sector with effect from 15 May 2012. Prior to taking up her position at the ILO, Ms Polaski served as Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs at the United States Department of Labor, where she headed the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB). In that capacity she was responsible for formulation of US policy on international labour, employment and economic matters, in collaboration with the Secretary of Labor and other US government agencies. She led ILAB’s bilateral labour dialogues with a number of governments, international technical assistance and research on international employment issues.

Prior to her work in the Obama Administration, Ms Polaski was a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a global think tank with offices in Washington, Beijing, Moscow, Beirut and Brussels. At the Carnegie Endowment, she directed the Trade, Equity and Development Program, which focused on growth, livelihood and income distribution issues in developing countries.

Ms Polaski earlier served as the US Secretary of State’s Special Representative for International Labor Affairs. She was responsible for incorporating labour and livelihood issues into US foreign policy under Secretaries Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell. Previously, Ms Polaski was the Director of Economic and Labor Law Research for the Secretariat of the North American Commission on Labor Cooperation, a NAFTA-related body.

Ms Polaski holds M.A. degrees from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the University of Wisconsin and a B.A. from the University of Dayton.