Rita Süssmuth is a member of the German Bundestag, where she served as president from 1988 to 1998. She is vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and head of the German delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Dr. Süssmuth also holds a chair of education at Dortmund University, is president of the German Association of Adult Education Centers, a member of the board of directors of the Institute for East-West Studies, a member of the international board of governors of the Shimon Peres Center for Peace, a member of the presidium of the German Society for Foreign Affairs, and president of the German Society for East European Studies. From 2000 to 2001 she was the chair of the independent commission “Migration,” and from 1986 to 2001 she was the chairwoman of the German Christian Democratic Party's federal committee on family policy. Dr. Süssmuth has served on numerous scientific advisory councils for the German government on issues relating to youth and family affairs, and is the former director of the institute “Women and Society.” Dr. Süssmuth completed her studies in romance languages at the Universities of Münster, Tübingen, and Paris, and received a Ph.D. in education, sociology, and psychology.