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Damon Wilson

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American foreign policy expert For the American football coach, see Damon Wilson (American football).
Damon Wilson
President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 2021
Preceded byCarl Gershman
Personal details
Born (1973-05-24) May 24, 1973 (age 51)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
EducationDuke University (BA)
Princeton University (MPA)

Damon M. Wilson (born May 24, 1973) is an American foreign policy scholar who serves as president and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy, a 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.

Focusing on international relations, national security, and democracy support, Wilson often testifies before the United States Congress 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 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 from 1995 to 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.

Wilson completed a Master of Public Administration at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs 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; his fellowship included tours on the China desk and to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing from 1998 to 2001.

Career

For over twenty years, Wilson has helped shape U.S. strategy and national security policy in regards to NATO 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, assisting Lord Robertson to transform the Alliance by enlarging NATO membership, implementing the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and adapting Allied capabilities to face modern threats. In this role, Wilson also supported NATO efforts to broker the Ohrid Agreement 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, 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, where he helped to manage the largest embassy in the world and implement a ‘civilian surge’ 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 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, 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, 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 following the withdrawal of U.S. troops. In December 2021, alongside USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Wilson moderated a session on human rights and press freedom during the Summit for Democracy.

Awards and affiliations

Wilson has been decorated by the presidents and governments of Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, 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. In 2007, Estonian President Toomas Ilves awarded Wilson with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana. In 2017, Wilson was presented with the Order of the Golden Fleece by Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili. 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 in Charleston, SC. 

References

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  2. "Atlantic Council EVP Damon Wilson named President and CEO of National Endowment for Democracy". Atlantic Council. 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  3. "Damon Wilson". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  4. "Damon M. Wilson biography" (PDF). U.S. House of Representatives.
  5. "Damon Wilson biography" (PDF). NATO.
  6. "United States Committee on Armed Services". www.armed-services.senate.gov. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
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  9. Wilson, David J. Kramer and Damon. "Ukraine on the brink". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  10. "Fellows Work Index: Damon Wilson, 1995-1996". 2008-07-19. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
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  12. "Building a Foundation for International Service". today.duke.edu. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  13. "Fellows Work Index: Damon Wilson, 1995-1996". 2008-07-19. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  14. "US Atlantic Council VP Damon Wilson: NATO Needs Unified Political Front in Afghanistan - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". www.novinite.com. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
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  21. "West in last-ditch effort to avert Macedonia war". The Independent. 2001-06-21. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
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  29. Kulat, Cathi (2012-05-18). "Continue NATO expansion". TheHill. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  30. "Enlarge NATO to Ensure Peace in Europe". Atlantic Council. 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  31. "Damon Wilson testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee | Permanent Deterrence and Bolstered Alliances in an Era of Great Power Competition" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. 29 January 2019.
  32. "Damon Wilson". Great Decisions. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  33. Hadley, Stephen J.; Wilson, Damon (2014-03-03). "Putin's takeover of Crimea is part of a larger strategy". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  34. "Out in global leadership: Fighting coronavirus and injustice". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  35. "Pride & National Security: A Fireside Chat with Damon Wilson and Dr. Tess Bridgeman | The Truman National Security Project". www.trumanproject.org. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  36. "Millennium Leadership Program". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  37. "Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  38. "Europe Center". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  39. "Balkans Forward". Atlantic Council. 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  40. "Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  41. "National Endowment for Democracy Names Damon Wilson as New President". NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY. 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  42. "2021 in Review: Message from NED President and CEO Damon Wilson". NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  43. "Evacuated Afghan artists paint a mural in Albania's capital". AP NEWS. 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  44. EN | The Summit for Democracy Day 2, 10 December 2021, retrieved 2022-01-28
  45. "Schedule - The Summit for Democracy". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  46. "Köztársasági Elnöki Hivatal". archive.ph. 2012-09-11. Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  47. "president.ee". www.president.ee. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  48. "Vice President of Atlantic Council receives Georgian state award". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  49. "GLOBSEC 2018: Remarks by Damon M. Wilson". GLOBSEC. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  50. ERR, ERR News | (2021-01-22). "Tikhanovskaya awarded Estonian foreign ministry's Order of Merit". ERR. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  51. "Truman Center for National Policy Welcomes Damon Wilson as Board Member | Truman Center for National Policy". www.trumancenter.org. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  52. "Belarus Free Theatre Trustees". Belarus Free Theatre.
  53. "The Ohrid Group: Now is the time". Atlantic Council. 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  54. "International Advisory Council". GLOBSEC. 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  55. Bowers, Paul (25 August 2018). "After 45 years, President Mary Thornley isn't finished at Trident Tech". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
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