Tanya L. Domi is a scholar, international human rights advocate and policy adviser. During her career, she served in the U.S. Army for 15 years, including as a commissioned military police officer at the rank of Captain, commanding at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, from 1988 to 1990.
An experienced practitioner and academic, Professor Domi taught Balkan Studies at Columbia University for 18 years, bringing her professional experience into the classroom. Earlier in her career, she served as a Congressional aide and military policy adviser to the late Congressman Frank McCloskey, the first member of the U.S. Congress to call on the U.S. government to intervene in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995. Professor Domi later taught as an Adjunct Assistant Professor on the faculty of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
In 1996, Ms. Domi was seconded by the U.S. Department of State to the OSCE Mission based in Sarajevo, where she served in various roles, including as counsel to the late U.S. Ambassador Robert Barry, adviser to the late U.S. Ambassador Robert Frowick, spokesperson, and chair of the international media experts commission for the 1998 elections in Bosnia. She also worked as an in-country mission director for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs on the promotion of democratic elections in Nepal, Haiti, and The Gambia.
Professor Domi has worked internationally for more than 30 years on issues related to democratic transitional development, media development, human rights, and human trafficking, specifically addressing these issues in Montenegro, South Sudan, Armenia, and Georgia. Her research has expanded to include genocide, conflict-related sexual violence, and the prevention of atrocity crimes directed at ethnic minorities, women, and LGBTQ persons. Preventing these crimes is a central focus of her research and work.
Ms. Domi is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow with the Western Balkans Center at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, based in Washington, D.C. She holds an MA from Columbia University and a BA from Central Michigan University, where she was also a Distinguished Military Graduate in the ROTC program.
Professor Domi has been honored by the Stećak Foundation in Bosnia, awarded a Jubilee Certificate of Appreciation for contributions to the culture of Bosnia in 2021, and honored by the Rector of the University of Tetovo for her human rights advocacy in support of Albanian minorities in 2024.
Tanya L. Domi was elected to the Executive Board of the PRESPA Institute for the term 2026–2029.