WASHINGTON, DC – Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Sasakawa USA), a leading U.S.-Japan think tank, has named Mr. Michael Schiffer a distinguished senior fellow (non-resident).
Purpose
Recognized for his leadership in international relations, Mr. Schiffer has devoted his career to strengthening U.S. engagement across Asia and the Indo-Pacific. His comprehensive expertise in Asia-Pacific regional affairs, U.S. legislative and diplomatic processes, and multilateral development cooperation will be an invaluable asset in his new role as distinguished senior fellow (non-resident). Sasakawa USA looks forward to working with Mr. Schiffer on a wide range of geopolitical and foreign policy issues for which the U.S. and Japan share common interests, such as overseas development assistance and values-based diplomacy.
Biography
Michael Schiffer, a partner at Scalare Advisors and associate fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, served as the Assistant Administrator of the USAID Bureau for Asia from 2022 to 2025. Prior to that he was senior advisor and counselor on the Democratic Staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From 2009 to 2012, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia. Before joining the Department of Defense he was a program officer at the Stanley Foundation, a Council on Foreign Relations Hitachi International Affairs Fellow, and worked on the staff of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), including as her national security adviser and Legislative Director. Prior to that, he was Director of International Security Programs at New York University’s Center for War, Peace, and the News Media, and was co-manager of the Poipu Bed and Breakfast Inn in Poipu, Kauai.
