Robert A. Hand joined the staff of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) in 1983, and serves as a Western Balkan specialist tasked with monitoring and reporting on Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. He also serves as Secretary of the U.S. Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.  He has been a member of many U.S. delegations to OSCE meetings, served on an OSCE field mission in 1993, staffed numerous congressional delegations to European countries, and observed multiple elections and referenda throughout the Balkans.  Robert earned a B.A. in International Relations and Russian Area Studies, with a minor in Economics, from the School of International Service at American University in 1983. He has some knowledge of Russian and German.