Experts

Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She brings nearly 30 years of experience working at the intersection of international affairs, research, policy, and public engagement.

Alexander Cooley is the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College and former director of Columbia University’s Harriman Institute for the Study of Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe. His research focuses on sovereignty, governance, and political development in post-Communist states, especially in Central Asia and the Caucasus. He joined the Chicago Council in 2025 as a nonresident senior fellow on Eurasia affairs in 2025.

Dina Smeltz, a polling expert, has more than 25 years of experience designing and fielding international social and political surveys. Prior to joining the Council to lead its annual survey of American attitudes on US foreign policy, she served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US State Department's Office of Research from 1992 to 2008.