Eric Bjornlund
Eric Bjornlund, a co-founder and principal of Democracy International, has designed and directed democracy and governance programs over the last two decades in 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East. A lawyer and development professional, Mr. Bjornlund has extensive experience in international and domestic election monitoring, election systems and administration, political party building, legislative development, constitutional and legal reform, civic and voter education, and civil society advocacy, as well as evaluation methodology and public opinion research. He has managed or participated in more than 20 election observation missions. From 1989 to 2000, Mr. Bjornlund worked for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, or NDI, in various senior positions in Washington and overseas, including senior associate and Asia director and country director in Indonesia and the Palestinian territories. From 2000 to 2001, he was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. In 2004, he served as field office director for The Carter Center in Indonesia.
Mr. Bjornlund has written and spoken extensively about transitional and postconflict elections, democratization, legal reform, and international democracy promotion. He is author of Beyond Free and Fair: Monitoring Elections and Building Democracy (Wilson Center Press and Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004) as well as numerous book chapters, articles, essays, and reports about transitional and post-conflict elections, democratization, legal reform, and international democracy promotion. Mr. Bjornlund has testified on many occasions before the U.S. Congress and at the United Nations. He has spoken at conferences and universities throughout the world and has appeared often on television and radio programs as an expert commentator.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Bjornlund practiced corporate and international law at Ropes & Gray in Boston, Massachusetts, one of the largest law firms in the United States. He holds a juris doctor from Columbia University, a master's in public administration from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a bachelor of arts magna cum laude from Williams College.