Recent Selected Activities

• Member, UPR Info Advisory Committee, January 2011 – present.
• Member, Reference Group, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, 2010.
• Guest Lecturer, American University of Kosovo Peace-building Program, August 2010.
• Senior Research Fellow, UPR-Info, Geneva, Switzerland, June –August, 2009.
• U.S. Department of State Speaker’s Program Award, U.S. Presidential Election Africa Webcam Presentation, November 5, 2008.
• Review team member, Global Integrity Report 2008.
• Academic Director, Study of United States Institute, University of Vermont (June-August 2008, 2007).
• Interviewed by Voice of America on political trends in Africa, January 2008
• Academic publication reviewer, e.g. Lynne Rienner, Social Science Quarterly, Journal of Legislative Studies.
• Academic Director, International Summer Institute, University of Vermont (June-August 2007)
• Review team member, Global Integrity Report 2006 (July-December).
• Member, Program Committee, Vermont Council on World Affairs (2005-current).
• Member, Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) Togo Pre-election Assessment Delegation (March 2005).
• Invited Participant, Measuring Progress in Stabilization and Reconstruction Project, U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington, D.C. (January 2005 – July 2005).
• Invited Participant, Political Party Research Writer’s Project, National Democratic Institute, Washington, D.C. (January 2005 – July 2005).
• Invited Discussant, “Conflict Resolution in Africa: Designing Workable Political Systems”, Department of State, Washington D.C. (December 2004).
• Advisor, Armenia Civil Society Advocacy Program Project Proposal, Institute for Sustainable Communities, Montpelier, VT (February 2004 – August 2004).
• Member, Advisory Committee, International Association for Election and Democracy Education (AIPED), Cote d’Ivoire (2004-present).
• Member, G8-Africa Partnership Working Group, Africa Policy Studies Program, Council on Foreign Relations (February-July 2004).
• Invited Manuscript Reviewer, Lynne Rienner, Praeger, International Journal of African Historical Studies, and Africa Today (2004-2006).
• Workshop leader, “Civil Society and Legislatures in Emerging Democracies”, World Movement for Democracy Conference, Durban, South Africa (February 1-5, 2004).
• Member, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe International Observer Delegation, Russian State Duma elections (December, 2003).
• Member, Democratic Republic of Congo Advisory Committee, International Foundation of Electoral Systems (April 2003).
• Reviewer, Freedom House Annual Survey of Press Freedom (March 2003).
• Co-author of opinion piece, “Who Should Lead Our Anti-Terrorism Efforts?”, U.N. Chronicle, Volume XL #1, (March-May 2003).
• Co-organizer, Democratic Reform in Africa: Impact on Governance and Poverty Alleviation conference, Institute for African Development, Cornell University (October 2002).
• Expert reviewer, Open Society Institute Democracy Coalition Project (DCP) Survey on Democracy and Foreign Policy (2002).
• Member, USAID Legislative Strengthening Programs Evaluation Task Force (2002).
• National Democratic Institute Delegation Leader, International Observer Mission to Mali Presidential Elections (May 2002).
• Speaker, U.S. Department of State/National Intelligence Council Conference, “Assessing Democratic Development in Africa” (December 2000).
• Member, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Award Committee (1994-1997, 1999-2000).
• Interviewed on African issues by the national and international press, for example, NPR’s “All Things Considered” and CNN.3
• Senior Research Associate, Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM), University of Maryland (1998-1999).
• Invited Participant, European Union Visitor’s Program (September, 1998).
• Member, Advisory Committee, International IDEA Handbook of Electoral System Design, IDEA, Stockholm (1997).
• Invited Participant, 90th American Assembly on “Africa & U.S. National Interests” (1997).
• Member, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Study Group on Democratic Development, (1996-7).
• Member, U.S. Institute of Peace Solicited Grants Award Committee (1997).
Presented paper, “Institutional Reform in Burundi”, U.S. Institute of Peace (1996).

Over the past 25 years I have lectured, led seminars in English and French and presented papers on democratic development issues in many fora, including: the African Studies Association, Binghamton University, Boston University, Clark Atlanta University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University SAIS, Princeton University, the University of Maryland, Yale University, the State Department Foreign Service Institute and the World Bank.