Who We Are
The Global Democracy Coalition is driven by three core groups: The Secretariat, the Steering Group and the Wider Coalition. These groups are compose of organizations from diverse professional backgrounds, cultural contexts, and geographical regions. This diversity is our strength, enabling us to approach challenges from multiple angles and devise innovative solutions.
Below, you can meet the exceptional individuals from the Secretariat and the Steering Group driving our success. Their expertise, passion, and collaborative spirit are the cornerstones of our achievements, and we are proud to highlight their contributions to our shared cause.
The Secretariat
The GDC Coordinators
The GDC Coordination team oversees the Coalition’s daily activities, including planning events, facilitating knowledge exchange, maintaining communications, and managing partnerships. They also organize general meetings, ensure administrative and financial compliance, fundraise, manage projects, and foster external collaborations. Additionally, they support the Steering Group by overseeing financial planning and monitoring progress toward strategic goals.
International Institute for Democratic and Electoral Assistance
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide.
Elisenda Ballesté Buxó – Coordinator of the Global Democracy Coalition
Elisenda Ballesté Buxó is the Project Coordinator of the Global Democracy Coalition, a strategic multi-stakeholder alliance of organizations dedicated to advancing and protecting democracy. She has previously managed the EU co-funded Global Monitor of COVID-19’s impact on Democracy and Human Rights project and has produced analysis on democratic trends in the Middle East subregion.
Click here to read more about Elisenda’s work and background.
Annika Silva-Leander – Head of North America and Permanent Observer of International IDEA to the United Nations
Dr. Annika Silva-Leander leads International IDEA’s North America office and represents the organization at the United Nations. She has extensive experience in democracy assessment and has been a key contributor to global democracy debates through her analysis and speaking engagements.
Nicolette Karina Kalfas – Research Assistant for the Global Democracy Coalition
Nicolette Karina Kalfas serves as a Research Assistant for the Global Democracy Coalition, playing a pivotal role in the Coalition’s engagement with the Summit for Democracy. With a background in communications and political science, Nicolette has been recognized for her work in international disarmament and civil society.
The GDC Co-Coordinators
The co-coordinator team ensures diverse representation and balanced responsibility distribution within the GDC. They collaborate with Coordinators and Steering Group members to promote shared decision-making and provide diverse insights. They advocate for the Coalition’s objectives, ensure effective communication, monitor progress, recommend improvements, explore partnerships, and represent the Coalition in relevant forums and events.
Counterpart International
Counterpart‘s mission is to support local communities in building inclusive, sustainable, and transparent societies, which is crucial in a world where threats to democracy and fundamental freedoms undermine human rights.
Kourtney Pompi – Senior Director of Governance
Kourtney Pompi, Counterpart’s Senior Director of Governance, has over 24 years of international development experience in 50+ countries. She specializes in empowering citizens to engage with governments and advocate for transparency and accountability. Pompi has expertise in areas like electoral participation, peacebuilding, and community empowerment, and has held roles with various global organizations.
Click here to read more about Kourtney’s work and background.
Bryn Norrie – Program Associate, Governance
Bryn Norrie is a Governance Program Associate at Counterpart International. She supports a variety of efforts across the Governance Practice Area at Counterpart International, including the work Counterpart International does with the Global Democracy Coalition. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and certificate in Peace, Conflict, and Security from the University of Colorado Boulder.
The GDC Steering Group
The Steering Group provides strategic oversight and direction for the Coalition. It is composed of eight partner organizations, including a permanent seat for the Secretariat. Steering Group members prepare for and attend regular meetings, provide strategic oversight, lead working groups, initiate collaborations, and support resource mobilization. They are instrumental in advancing the Coalition’s mission and ensuring it meets its administrative and financial responsibilities.
Accountability Lab is a global translocal network that makes governance work for people by supporting active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions. Our goal is a world in which resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone fairly, and people lead secure lives.
Blair Glencorse, Co-CEO of Accountability Lab, leads global efforts to improve governance, including projects like Integrity Icon and anti-corruption initiatives. He is an expert with the World Economic Forum and advises the G20 on anti-corruption. Glencorse frequently speaks on governance and citizen participation.
Jean Scrimgeour, Co-CEO of Accountability Lab, focuses on youth involvement in governance. With experience in public affairs across the U.S., U.K., and Southern Africa, she holds a master’s in conflict resolution from King’s College London and has served as an analyst for Freedom House.
The Alliance for Vietnam’s Democracy is an international network of pro-democracy organizations dedicated to advocating for democracy in Vietnam through peaceful means. The Alliance works to promote human rights, political freedom, and social justice in Vietnam, coordinating efforts among its member organizations to raise awareness and support democratic reforms.
David Tran is the Director of Communications for the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam and has 40 years of community service experience. He is also a practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist and coordinates the Alliance for Vietnam’s Democracy. Tran serves on the Steering Committee of the Global Democracy Coalition.
The Alliance of Democracies Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2017 by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former NATO Secretary General and former Prime Minister of Denmark. Our team brings expertise from international diplomacy and human rights to election integrity and strategic communications.
Danielle Piatkiewicz is the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the Alliance of Democracies Foundation and founder of DEP Consulting. She is a research fellow at EUROPEUM, focusing on Transatlantic and Central and Eastern European security, democracy promotion, and NATO. Danielle is passionate about leadership and women’s development, having managed key initiatives like the Young Professionals Summit and served as a mentor. Her expertise includes foreign policy, security, human rights, and democracy promotion.
DT Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to “doing development differently” by implementing global development programs in conflict and fragile environments. They also fund innovative, evidence-based initiatives to improve lives and work with communities to build resilient, equitable, and democratic societies.
Violet Tsagka is the Co-CEO of DT Institute with over ten years of experience in communications, business development, and project management. She has worked with private sector clients, non-profits, multilateral institutions, and government agencies like USAID and the European Union. Previously, she led media integration at Creative Associates International and served as Vice President at turner4D, focusing on advocacy campaigns. She holds a B.A. from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and an M.A. from George Washington University.
Vukasin Petrovic is the Vice President of the Media, Technology, and Human Rights Division at DT Institute. He has dedicated his career to promoting democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression, particularly in countries facing conflict, political transition, and authoritarianism. As a member of DT Institute’s executive team, he leads strategies for human rights and democracy, oversees related programs, and manages policy engagement, business development, and partnerships. Previously, Petrovic held senior roles at Equal Access International and Freedom House, where he focused on human rights advocacy and supporting civil society in challenging environments.
Humanity United is a philanthropic organization focused on creating lasting peace and freedom. They work with partners to advance human dignity and address the systems that fuel violent conflict and human exploitation. Their efforts concentrate on two main areas: peacebuilding and combating forced labor and human trafficking, achieved through targeted programs, journalism, advocacy, and policy change.
Bryan Sims is the Director of Peacebuilding & Partnerships at Humanity United, where he leads initiatives on nonviolent action and inclusive peace processes. With nearly two decades of experience, he specializes in adaptive, locally-led programming to promote stability, peace, and democracy in conflict-affected regions. Before joining Humanity United, Bryan managed democracy support initiatives in southern Africa, focusing on xenophobia, migration, and violence, and coordinated human rights and governance programs. He holds a PhD and has co-founded an international non-profit to empower young leaders in conflict zones.
PartnersGlobal, formerly known as Partners for Democratic Change, acts as a catalyst for fostering cooperation among individuals, communities, businesses, and governments to create a more peaceful, inclusive, democratic, and prosperous world. They promote democracy through advanced conflict resolution techniques and are pioneers in impact investment, with a strong history of building sustainable local organizations.
Kyra Buchko is the Co-Executive Director of PartnersGlobal, where she has been instrumental since 2017 in advancing programs related to justice, rule of law, and human rights. She became Managing Director for Program Portfolios in 2020, providing strategic oversight across all regions, and was named Co-Executive Director in 2021. Previously, Kyra served as Senior Technical Director at New Rule, LLC, and has extensive experience advising human rights institutions and government agencies in South Asia and Eastern Europe. She began her career with the American Bar Association’s overseas programming.
Jessica Hemelfarb is the Program Manager at PartnersGlobal, where she has supported the Global Initiatives team since May 2022. She primarily manages the Civil Society Resilience Activity (CSRA) in Serbia, a five-year USAID and SDC-funded project aimed at strengthening civil society’s legal environment, transparency, and public understanding in Serbia. Prior to PartnersGlobal, Jessica managed grants in Nigeria and Belarus, focusing on agriculture, education, and business development programs that enhanced community resilience and supported women and youth.
The Wider Coalition
The Global Democracy Coalition is a multi-stakeholder alliance of more than 130 democracy organizations from around the world committed to advance and protect democracy worldwide and to influence the Summits for Democracy and the Year of Action.
Being a partner/member in the Global Democracy Coalition provides access to a network of like-minded organizations and colleagues around the world, to share information on democratic innovations and good democratic practices, to identify opportunities for collaboration and to better coordinate their efforts, specifically in relation to the Summit for Democracy, but also in their democracy strengthening efforts more broadly. The Coalition enables partner organizations to have a stronger voice in influencing the Summits for Democracy and the global democracy agenda more broadly, as part of a collective effort rather than as individual organizations.
The Global Democracy Coalition does not pretend to substitute other issue-based global coalitions or Summit cohorts. Rather, it intends to bridge the issue-based discussions in other thematically organized coalitions and cohorts under the broader umbrella of democracy. It also aims to facilitate dialogue across Summit cohorts, to facilitate synergies and link them to the broader democracy agenda.
How can my organization become a partner of the Coalition?
A request is submitted to the Coalition coordinators, through a questionnaire. All applications will then be sent to the Coalition´s Steering Group for vetting. For more information, please email the GDC Coordinator Elisenda Ballesté Buxó (e.ballestebuxo@idea.int).
