Defending Democracy

Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda is the former president of the Republic of Malawi (2012-2014). She was Malawi’s first female president and Africa’s second. For two years running, Dr. Joyce Banda was voted by Forbes Magazine as Africa’s most powerful woman and one of the most powerful women in the world. Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda is a champion for the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups. Before becoming president of Malawi, Dr. Banda served as a Member of Parliament; Minister of Gender and Child Welfare; and Foreign Minister and Vice President of the country. During her tenure as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare, Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda championed the enactment of the Prevention of Domestic Violence Bill in 2006, which provides a legal framework for the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. Since leaving office, Dr. Joyce Banda continues to lead the Joyce Banda Foundation International, which she founded for the purpose of developing projects to empower women, youth and other vulnerable segments of the population. Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda serves on the board of several international organizations, including the Executive Advisory Committee of the African Union’s African Women Leaders Network Committee and the Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health.  She is a member of the SADC Panel of Elders.

Julia Brothers is a Senior Advisor for Elections at the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Ms. Brothers has worked in over 20 countries, including Guinea, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe, leading electoral assessments and electoral integrity projects. She was based in South Sudan for the historic elections and referendum, and has significant experience in post-conflict and transitioning democracies. Ms. Brothers is an expert in parallel vote tabulations (PVTs), open election data, voter registration, observer rights, and the role of new technologies and digital media in the electoral process, including information integrity. Prior to her work at NDI, Ms. Brothers has consulted for USAID and Democracy Reporting International (DRI) on electoral assessments, and spent several years advancing US electoral reform efforts at the Pew Charitable Trusts, using research and advocacy to guide state election legislation, modernize voter registration processes, and support election data centralization and open data tools. She has previously worked at EMILY's List to promote women’s representation in government and has supported several state and national political campaigns in the US. She holds a BA in Political Science from the George Washington University and an MA from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.

Allison Carlson is the Executive Vice President of FP Analytics & Events at Foreign Policy. She oversees FPA’s cross-cutting research at the intersection of policy, technology, and global markets as well as Foreign Policy’s global dialogues and convenings. Prior to these roles, Carlson led FP Analytics’ energy and technology team for more than a decade, evaluating evolving policies, regulations, and market factors to identify opportunities for project development and advanced technology deployment internationally. Before joining FP, she led the Latin America program for a boutique consulting firm assisting European companies on investing in emerging markets’ energy and financial sectors. Carlson has presented her work at a variety of international conferences and before the U.S. Senate. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, where she received a master’s degree in international relations and international economics.

Ambassador Johnnie Carson joined the NDI board after a 37-year career in the foreign service. Most recently he was the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of African Affairs. Immediately prior he was the national intelligence officer for Africa at the National Intelligence Council after serving as the senior vice president of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. (2003-2006). His career includes ambassadorships to Kenya (1999-2003), Zimbabwe (1995-1997) and Uganda (1991-1994); and he was principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs (1997-1999). Earlier in his career he had assignments in Portugal (1982-1986), Botswana (1986-1990), Mozambique (1975-1978) and Nigeria (1969-1971). He also served as desk officer in the Africa section at State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1971-1974); staff officer for the secretary of state (1978-1979), and staff director for the Africa Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives (1979-1982). Ambassador Carson was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania (1965-1968). He has a bachelor of arts in history and political science from Drake University and a master of arts in international relations from the School of Oriental and Africa Studies at the University of London. Ambassador Carson is the recipient of several Superior Honor Awards from the Department of State and a Meritorious Service Award from Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The Centers for Disease Control presented him with its highest award, "Champion of Prevention Award," for his leadership in directing the U.S. government's HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in Kenya.

Nino Dolidze is the Executive Director of International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), a key election watchdog in Georgia. ISFED is one of the largest, oldest and trusted civil society organization in Georgia, established in 1995.

Nino has more than 17 years of extensive working experience in the field of Democracy, Elections, Human Rights, Rule of Law, Gender Equality and fight against Disinformation. During her career, she has worked at number of international and domestic organizations in Georgia, implementing various large-scale projects aimed at promoting the democratic development of the country, including good governance, legislative strengthening, rule of law, local government development, citizen engagement and voter education.

Before joining ISFED, Nino has worked at the International Republican Institute (IRI) for 8 years, leading IRI’s Election Program, supporting multi-party Democracy and Political Empowerment of Women. She is an expert on electoral processes, disinformation and propaganda, gender equality issues in several international organizations (USAID, EU). Nino is a lecturer in political sciences, including political campaigning, electoral integrity, and political party development. Working on various positions, she has participated in more than 20 domestic and international election observation missions (OSCE/ODIHR,IRI, NDI, ENEMO) in Georgia and abroad.

Nino holds a master's degree in public policy and administration; bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations. She is an alumni of women’s campaign school from Yale University (2016). She is alumni of the McCain Institute’s Global Leaders Program (2022).

Luis Carlos Ugalde served as the president of the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) from 2003 to 2007, during the presidential election of 2006, officially the most competitive in modern Mexican history. As the General Director and founder of Integralia Consultores, he has established a leading consultancy in public affairs and political risk in Mexico.
Additionally, he has government and public institutions experience, including the Embassy of Mexico in the United States, the Office of the President of the Republic, and the Ministry of Energy. He has been a professor of political science and researcher at various universities in Mexico and the United States, including ITAM, CIDE, and Harvard.
Author of several relevant works on elections, democracy, transparency, and accountability. His book "Así lo Viví," a personal chronicle of the 2006 election, has gained recognition as a bestseller. He is an editorialist for the newspaper El Financiero, collaborator on Pepe Cárdenas' program on Radio Fórmula, and commentator on various radio and TV news programs.
He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from ITAM, a master's degree in public administration, and a doctorate in political science from Columbia University in New York.