Vanessa Thompson is a second year Master of Public Policy and Management student at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). She is a researcher with the Online Violence Against Women in Politics Working Group, which is led by the Ford Institute for Human Security. Currently, Vanessa is the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director for the Strategic Resources Office for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency designed by President Biden to improve the U.S. government’s ability to speed biomedical and health research. Prior to ARPA-H, she spent three years in banking and almost ten years in not-for-profits supporting fundraising efforts, training youth practitioners, supported child literacy campaigns and community engagement initiatives. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Women and Girls Foundation, President of the Alumni Association for Chatham University, and Board member of The Pittsburgh Promise. Vanessa was recognized by Pittsburgh Magazine’s – Give Pittsburgh – as a Young Philanthropist for her work in prison ministry. Vanessa holds a B.A. from Chatham University in Psychology with a minor in Religion.