Damon Wilson
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Damon M. Wilson (born May 24, 1973) is an American foreign policy expert and the President and CEO of the
National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an organization in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by promoting political and economic institutions such as political groups, trade unions, ...
, an independent grant-making foundation supporting freedom and democracy around the world. From 2011 to 2021, he was the Executive Vice President at the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank focused on international cooperation. A former civil servant, Wilson served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council during the second term of President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. With expertise in
international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...
, national security, and democracy support, Wilson regularly testifies before the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
and is a frequent media contributor.


Early life and education

Wilson was born in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended Duke University as a Benjamin N. Duke Scholar and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1995. While at Duke, he lived in Estonia during its first year of regained independence, interned for US Senator
Ernest Hollings Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings (January 1, 1922April 6, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005. A conservative Democrat, he was also the 106th governor of South Carolina, ...
of South Carolina, and worked for the Unaccompanied Children in Exile Project in Croatia. Following graduation, Wilson was awarded the inaugural Hart Leadership Fellowship, working as a project officer in Rwanda with
Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
from 1995-1996. During the fellowship, Wilson supported programming to assist children who lost or were separated from their parents in the wake of the
Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed H ...
. Wilson completed a Master of Public Administration at Princeton University’s
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of comprehensive course ...
in 1998. During his studies, he interned in the African Affairs Directorate of the National Security Council led by Susan Rice. After graduation, Wilson was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow and assigned to the State Department’s NATO office, working for Ron Asmus, under the tenure of Secretary
Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...
; his fellowship included tours on the China desk and to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing from 1998-2001.


Career

For over twenty years, Wilson has helped shape U.S. strategy and national security policy in regards to
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and US-European relations to advance freedom and security around the world. He is an advocate for strengthening democratic alliances to address security challenges, believing “US interests are best served when Washington and its allies act in unison.” Wilson views authoritarian Russia and China as “the main geopolitical challenge of the 21st century,” and that “there is no possible successful strategy to confront Putin’s aggression without a strong NATO.” From July 2001 to January 2004, Wilson served as Deputy Director of the Office of the
NATO Secretary General The secretary general of NATO is the chief civil servant of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The officeholder is an international diplomat responsible for coordinating the workings of the alliance, leading NATO's international staff ...
, assisting Lord Robertson to transform the Alliance by enlarging NATO membership, implementing the
International Security Assistance Force ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...
in Afghanistan, and adapting Allied capabilities to face modern threats. In this role, Wilson also supported NATO efforts to broker the
Ohrid Agreement The Ohrid Framework Agreement ( mk, Охридски рамковен договор, Ohridski ramkoven dogovor) was the peace deal signed by the government of the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) and representatives of the Albanian ...
to avert civil war in Macedonia. From January 2004 to November 2006, as Director for Central, Eastern and Northern European Affairs at the National Security Council, Wilson coordinated U.S. interagency policy on Ukraine during the
Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution ( uk, Помаранчева революція, translit=Pomarancheva revoliutsiia) was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate afterm ...
, directed efforts to deepen engagement in Central and Eastern Europe, including the expansion of secure visa-free travel, and promoted close consultation with coalition partners in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also played a leading role in implementing the Belarus Democracy Act. In 2007, Wilson served as the executive secretary and chief of staff at the
U.S. Embassy in Baghdad The Embassy of the United States of America in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. Ambassador Alina Romanowski is currently the Head of mission, Chief of Mission. At , it is the lar ...
, where he helped to manage the largest embassy in the world and implement a ‘civilian
surge Surge means a sudden transient rush or flood, and may refer to: Science * Storm surge, the onshore gush of water associated with a low-pressure weather system * Surge (glacier), a short-lived event where a glacier can move up to velocities 100 ...
’ throughout Iraq. From December 2007 to January 2009, as Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, Wilson led U.S. government efforts to advance a Europe whole, free and at peace. He notably managed interagency policy on NATO, the European Union, Georgia, Ukraine, the Balkans, Eurasian
energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven d ...
and Turkey, and helped plan numerous presidential visits to Europe, including the Bucharest NATO Summit and the 2008 US-EU Summit. From 2009 to 2011, Wilson directed the International Security program at the Atlantic Council think tank, transforming it into the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. In 2011, he was promoted to the role of Executive Vice President. At the Atlantic Council, Wilson championed American leadership, a strong NATO, continued NATO enlargement, support for democratic reforms in Ukraine and the Balkans, positioning US and NATO forces in the Baltic states, and efforts to counter authoritarian powers Russia and China. He also defended global
LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...
, hosting global leaders for Pride and launching several diversity and inclusion programs within the organization. During his tenure, he helped launch the Millennium Leadership Program, the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, the Europe Center, the Balkans Forward Initiative, and the Digital Forensic Research Lab. In June 2021, Wilson was named as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the
National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an organization in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by promoting political and economic institutions such as political groups, trade unions, ...
, succeeding Carl Gershman. During his first few months, he managed the safe passage of 923 Afghan grantees, staff and their family members during the
2021 evacuation from Afghanistan Large-scale evacuations of foreign citizens and some vulnerable Afghan citizens took place amid the withdrawal of US and NATO forces during the final days of the war in Afghanistan and the Taliban offensive in Afghanistan in 2021. After the ...
following the withdrawal of U.S. troops. In December 2021, alongside
USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
Administrator
Samantha Power Samantha Jane Power (born September 21, 1970) is an American journalist, diplomat and government official who is currently serving as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. She previously served as the 28th ...
, Wilson moderated a session on human rights and press freedom during the
Summit for Democracy The Summit for Democracy is a virtual Summit (meeting), summit hosted by the United States "to renew democracy at home and confront autocracies abroad". The first summit was held on December 9–10, 2021. The three themes are defending against au ...
.


Awards and affiliations

Wilson has been decorated by the presidents and governments of Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, and the Slovak Republic for his efforts to advance transatlantic relations. In 2006, he was presented with the
Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the O ...
and the
Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident a ...
. In 2007, Estonian President
Toomas Ilves Toomas Hendrik Ilves (; born 26 December 1953) is an Estonian politician who served as the fourth president of Estonia from 2006 until 2016. Ilves worked as a diplomat and journalist, and he was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the ...
awarded Wilson with the
Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ( et, Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of t ...
. In 2017, Wilson was presented with the Order of the Golden Fleece by Georgian President
Giorgi Margvelashvili Giorgi Margvelashvili ( ka, გიორგი მარგველაშვილი; born 4 September 1969) is a Georgian academic and politician who was the fourth President of Georgia, in office from 17 November 2013 to 16 December 2018. ...
. In 2018, Wilson received the Czech and Slovak Transatlantic Award by GLOBSEC. In 2021, Wilson was awarded an Order of Merit by the Estonia Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wilson currently serves on the board of the Truman Center for National Policy, is a Trustee of the Belarus Free Theatre, and is a member of the Ohrid Group and the International Advisory Council at GLOBSEC.


Personal life

Wilson lives with his husband in Washington, D.C. and part-time in Charleston, SC. His mother, Mary Thornley, is President of
Trident Technical College Trident Technical College (TTC) is a public community college with its main campus in Charleston, South Carolina and other campuses throughout Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. It is part of the South Carolina Technical College System ...
in Charleston, SC. 


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Damon Duke University alumni Living people People from Charleston, South Carolina Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni Recipients of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Georgia) Atlantic Council National Endowment for Democracy 1973 births