Mikaela Rear is a Fellow at the MESA Institute for Global Impact and a national security and foreign policy professional specializing in economic statecraft, U.S.-Asia-Pacific relations, and global development. She recently served in the Biden Administration as Director for International Economics at the White House National Security Council, where she led U.S. efforts to counter economic coercion and oversaw policymaking for a range of critical trade and economic security issues. In this capacity, she was a key architect of high-level scenario planning exercises to mitigate global supply chain disruptions, and she worked with G7 and Indo-Pacific governments on multilateral economic initiatives, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. Prior to the NSC, Mikaela advised the CEO at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation on cross-cutting geopolitical priorities and established the agency's inaugural Office of Foreign Policy. She also served as the agency's Indo-Pacific Policy Director. Prior to federal service, Mikaela worked in humanitarian assistance with Mercy Corps, the International Organization for Migration in Myanmar, and other NGOs across Greece, Mexico, the Philippines. She began her career working on political campaigns in four U.S. states. Mikaela received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and peace and conflict studies from UC Berkeley.