WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) today announced that John “JT” Tomaszewski will join the organization as Senior Director for Africa.
Tomaszewski brings more than two decades of experience in U.S.-Africa relations, democracy support, and congressional oversight. He joins NED from the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where he served as a Senior Professional Staff Member for Africa and as a principal advisor to Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) on the continent. In that role, he helped shape oversight, legislation, and senior-level U.S. engagement on governance, conflict, authoritarian influence, and democratic backsliding across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Before joining the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tomaszewski spent more than a decade at the International Republican Institute (IRI), one of NED’s Core institutes. As Regional Director for Africa, he oversaw democracy and governance programs and operations across 18 countries. He also served in field-based roles, including in Kenya and South Sudan, and participated in numerous election observation and assessment missions across the region.
“JT brings a rare combination of field experience, strategic policy judgment, and U.S.-Africa leadership in Washington at a critical moment for freedom and democratic resilience in Africa,” said NED President and CEO Damon Wilson. “He understands both the stakes on the ground and the importance of ensuring that NED’s Africa work is focused, effective, and responsive to the challenges and opportunities facing the continent today.”
“I’m honored to join NED and to help lead its work in Africa at such an important time,” said Tomaszewski. “Across the continent, there is strong demand for accountable governance, freedom, and institutions that can respond to citizens’ aspirations. I look forward to working with NED’s staff, board, partners, and Core institutes to strengthen that work and sharpen the impact of NED’s Africa portfolio.”
Earlier in his career, Tomaszewski held legislative and communications roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and worked in LEVICK Strategic Communications’ crisis and litigation practice. He holds a Master’s degree from Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ramapo College of New Jersey.
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About the National Endowment for Democracy
NED is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to advancing freedom and democracy worldwide. Established in 1983 as part of President Reagan’s vision to foster an “infrastructure of democracy” with a bipartisan Congressional mandate, NED supports grassroots leaders striving for the freedom to think, speak, worship, engage politically, and support their families without fear. It mobilizes key pillars of American democracy, from political parties to business and labor, to support their counterparts abroad through the Core institutes that form the NED family: the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the Solidarity Center.
