Field Leadership
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ leadership in the field gathers professionals with firsthand experience administering elections in every region of the world. Our country directors have worked across the public and private sectors; have authored texts on political finance, election technology and election management; and have been a part of such historic moments as South Sudan’s independence and the Arab Spring.
Africa
- Rakeb Abate, Country Director, Ethiopia
- Theophilus Dowetin, Election Systems Adviser, Niger
- Mathias Hounkpe, Country Director, Mali
- Seray Jah, Country Director, Nigeria
- C.A. Lamin Lighe, Election Management Adviser, The Gambia
- Nicholas Matatu, Country Director, Burkina Faso
- Ukeh Michael Obaje, Deputy Country Director, Nigeria
- Isaack Otieno, Country Director, Kenya
- Adele Ravidà, Country Director, Senegal
Americas
- Meredith Applegate, Country Director, Guyana
- Denise Dauphinais, Country Director, Haiti
- Vanessa Gonzales, Senior Electoral Advisor, Haiti
- Lourdes Gonzalez-Prieto, Country Director, El Salvador and Guatemala
- Lluís Juan Rodríguez, Resident Senior Technical Advisor, Guatemala
- Marcelo Varela-Erasheva, Country Director, Honduras
Asia-Pacific
- Shabir Ahmed, Country Director, Pakistan
- Erni Andriani, Senior Program Manager, AGENDA
- Lasanthi Daskon, Deputy Country Director, Sri Lanka
- Eva Gil, Deputy Country Director, Myanmar
- Oliver Green, Senior Electoral Management Adviser, Autonomous Region of Bougainville
- Robert David Irish, Deputy Country Director, Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands
- Pascaline Krone, Country Director, Nepal
- Silja Paasilinna, Country Director, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
- Radhika Regmi Pokharel, Deputy Country Director, Nepal
- W. Paul Rowland, Country Director, Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands
- Admira Salim, Country Director, Indonesia
- Fauzia Tariq, Senior Gender Adviser, Pakistan
Europe and Eurasia
- Ioana Cosma, Country Director, North Macedonia
- Peter Erben, Principal Advisor, IFES, and Senior Country Director, Ukraine
- Harald Hartvig Jepsen, International Senior Adviser, Ukraine
- George (Gio) Kobakhidze, Deputy Country Director, Ukraine
- Denys Kovryzhenko, Senior Legal Adviser, Ukraine
- Renata Levovski, Country Director, Georgia
- Jérôme Leyraud, Country Director, Armenia
- Keti Maisuradze, Country Director, Kyrgyzstan
- Nermin Nisic, Country Director, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia
- Dr. Magnus Öhman, Director, Regional Europe Office, and Senior Political Finance Adviser
- Alexander Orehov, Senior Program Manager, Kyrgyzstan
- Tamar Zhvania, Country Director, Uzbekistan
Middle East and North Africa
- Hayya Ahmed, Deputy Country Director, Sudan
- Samer Elchahabi, Deputy Country Director, Tunisia
- Nicolas Kaczorowski, Country Director, Tunisia
- Shalva Kipshidze, Country Director, Sudan
- Majdi Koubaa, Senior Operations and Security Manager, Tunisia
- Vladimir Pran, Senior Elections Specialist, Middle East and North Africa
- Anna Wiktorowska, Country Director, Iraq
- Mariusz Wojtan, Senior Elections Specialist, Iraq
- Michael Yard, Senior Technical Adviser, Libya
- Emad Yousef, Country Director, Libya