Damon Wilson

Damon Wilson is president and chief executive officer of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), America’s foundation for freedom. NED is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental grantmaking foundation, mandated by the U.S. Congress, and dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. NED supports the democratic aspirations of people working to advance fundamental freedoms, justice, and human rights with nearly 2000 grants in nearly 100 countries. This includes support for the NED Core institutes: the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the Solidarity Center. Prior to joining NED, Mr. Wilson served as executive vice president at the Atlantic Council, as special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), as executive secretary and chief of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and as deputy director in the private office of the NATO Secretary General. Mr. Wilson began his career with Save the Children in Rwanda and the U.S. State Department. He is a graduate of Duke University and Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs.