Visions for a Technology-Enabled Democratic Future

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) strengthens democracy around the globe through private enterprise and market-oriented reform. CIPE is one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy and a non-profit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Since 1983, CIPE has worked with business leaders, policymakers, and journalists to build the civic institutions vital to a democratic society.

Center for International Private Enterprise

This event showcases insights from the Future of Democracy Survey and will also launch the Anthology for a Future of Tech-Enabled Democracy.

<p>The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI), invites you to “Visions for a Technology-Enabled Democratic Future." This 2-hour virtual event showcases insights from the Future of Democracy Survey which captures a variety of perspectives from private sector, civil society, government, and other stakeholders on the values that should underpin a democratic future in the digital age. CIPE, NDI, and IRI will also launch the Anthology for a Future of Tech-Enabled Democracy, an online multimedia collection of thought pieces from inspiring thinkers that explore different topics related to an overarching theme: imagining a positive democratic future enabled by technology.</p><p>The event will feature:</p><ul><li><strong>9:00 AM</strong> — Introduction by Andrew Wilson, Executive Director, CIPE</li><li><strong>9:05 AM</strong> — Opening Remarks from Damon Wilson, President and CEO, NED</li><li><strong>9:10 AM</strong> — Presentation on the Future of Democracy Survey with Ritika Singh, Program Manager, CIPE</li><li><strong>10:00 AM</strong> — Presentation of the Anthology for a Future of Tech-Enabled Democracy with Adam Sachs, Program Officer, CIPE; Madeleine Nicoloff, Program Associate, NDI; and Amanda Zink, Program Officer, IRI</li><li><strong>10:15 AM</strong> — Panel Discussion with Anthology Contributors, moderated by Anthology Editor Brian Forest</li></ul><p></p>

<h2>A﻿bout the speakers</h2><h3>Damon Wilson</h3><p>Damon Wilson is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Endowment for Democracy. Prior to joining NED, Mr. Wilson served as Executive Vice President at the Atlantic Council, as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), as Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and as Deputy Director in the private office of the NATO Secretary General. Mr. Wilson began his career with Save the Children in Rwanda. He is a graduate of Duke University and Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs.</p><h3>Andrew Wilson</h3><p>Andrew Wilson is the Executive Director of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Washington, D.C. Wilson has extensive experience working with the private sector on development issues in conflict and post-conflict settings, crafting successful business strategies to reduce corruption, encouraging entrepreneurship development, strengthening business advocacy, improving corporate governance standards, and promoting economic reform. He is called on frequently to speak about the linkages between democracy and business, as well as the challenges to growth in emerging markets, including corruption and the threat of corrosive capital.</p><p>Wilson has worked at CIPE since 1996 in a variety of roles, including Deputy Director for Strategic Planning and Programs, and Regional Director for Europe, Eurasia, and South Asia. Prior to his time at CIPE, Wilson worked for several development NGOs focusing on economic reform, private sector growth, and public diplomacy.</p><p>Over the years, Wilson has served on numerous international working groups dedicated to political and economic development in transitional societies. He has also worked with non-profit boards to improve strategic planning and optimize organizational development. He served as a Trustee and Director of the Meadows Foundation in Dallas, Texas, and is currently a board member of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.</p><p>Wilson received his MA in East European Area Studies from the University of London (SSEES) and a BA in History from Lewis and Clark College.</p><h3>Brian Forest (Moderator)</h3><p>Brian Forest serves as Editor of the Anthology for a Future of Tech-Enabled Democracy. Forest is also the Founder of Arboreal Communications™, a new kind of communications shop specializing in messaging, writing, and strategy. He has provided strategic messaging support at the highest levels of business and government, including some of the world’s most recognizable companies and principals—from presidents and CEOs to social entrepreneurs and prime ministers. Forest, a longtime senior Senate leadership aide, has crafted messages and strategies that shaped national conversations and helped secure important bipartisan legislative achievements. He also led strategic messaging for a major Washington business trade group and has worked in a variety of roles spanning democracy promotion, international institutions, politics, journalism, academia, the White House, and PR agencies such as Edelman.</p>

<p><strong>Delfina Irazusta (Panelist)</strong></p><p>Delfina is Founder and Executive Director of RIL (Local Innovation Network) where she has been working for more than eight years with local leaders with the aim of improving their management skills and thus maximizing their power to transform their cities. She holds a degree in Political Science, postgraduate in Local Development, Master in City Management and previously worked as an adviser in the Buenos Aires city government. She is part of the global network of Ashoka entrepreneurs and the YGL Class 2020 group (World Economic Forum).</p><p><strong>Dr. Walid Al-Saqaf (Panelist)</strong></p><p>Walid Al-Saqaf is an Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Media Technology at Södertörn University in Stockholm. He is also an expert and trainer in fact-checking, data journalism, blockchain technology, social media analysis, and big data. Before moving to Sweden in 2006, he led the Yemen Times as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher from 1999-2005.</p><p><strong>Ginny Badanes (Panelist)</strong></p><p>Ginny Badanes leads Democracy Forward, an initiative within Microsoft’s Technology &amp; Corporate Responsibility organization that is focused on addressing ongoing challenges to the stability of democracies globally. The program includes efforts to protect elections, political parties, campaigns, and NGOs from cyber-enabled threats. The Democracy Forward team also leads Microsoft’s work to improve the information ecosystem, which includes combating disinformation, expanding news distribution, increasing media literacy, and working with community-based programs and newsrooms to use technology to expand their reach.</p><p>Ginny has spent her career at the intersection of politics and technology. Before joining Microsoft in 2014, she was Vice President of Political Services at CMDI, where she advised presidential and senate campaigns on their efforts to leverage data and technology to improve their finance and treasury operations. Ginny was named to Washingtonian’s 2021 &amp; 2022 “Most Influential People” list for national security and defense. She is a graduate of Duke University and currently lives in Arlington, VA with her husband, Dave, and their three boys.</p><p><strong>Dr. Amy Johnson (Panelist)</strong></p><p>Amy Johnson uses speculative methods to explore the societal impacts of technology and social change—and then imagine fresh possibilities. An author, anthologist, and scholar, her stories and poetry have appeared or are forthcoming in <em>Diabolical Plots</em>,<em> Escape Pod</em>, <em>Fantasy Magazine</em>, and <em>Lightspeed</em>, among others. She edited the <em>Drones &amp; Dreams</em> anthology (Digital Asia Hub 2019) and regularly leads speculative workshops and projects. As a scholar, she studies unexpected uses of digital technologies, with focuses on government, freedom of expression, and play. She’s currently a fellow at MIT’s Language and Technology Lab and an affiliate and past fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet &amp; Society. She holds a PhD from MIT. Find her at <a href="https://amyjohnson.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">amyjohnson.com</a> or on Twitter at @shrapnelofme, where she tweets about language, technology, and other fun things.</p>

<h2><strong>About the Organizations</strong></h2><h3>About CIPE</h3><p>The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) strengthens democracy around the globe through private enterprise and market-oriented reform. CIPE is one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy and an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Since 1983, CIPE has worked with business leaders, policymakers, and civil society to build the institutions vital to a democratic society. CIPE’s key program areas include enterprise ecosystems, democratic governance, business advocacy, anti-corruption &amp; ethics, and digital transformation, with the inclusion of people representing all economic strata, political affiliations, genders, and ethnic and religious backgrounds serving as a core organizational value.</p><h3>About NDI</h3><p>The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness, and accountability in government. NDI and its local partners work to promote openness and accountability in government by building political and civic organizations, safeguarding elections, and promoting citizen participation. The Institute brings together individuals and groups to share ideas, knowledge, experiences, and expertise that can be adapted to the needs of individual countries.</p><h3>About IRI</h3><p>The International Republican Institute (IRI) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 and has been working to strengthen civil society, political parties, marginalized communities, and other key areas essential to democratic governance. IRI encourages democracy in places where it is absent, helps democracy become more effective where it is in danger, and shares best practices where democracy is flourishing.</p><h3>About NED</h3><p>The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, NED makes more than 2,000 grants to support the projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 100 countries. Since its founding in 1983, the Endowment has remained on the leading edge of democratic struggles everywhere, while evolving into a multifaceted institution that is a hub of activity, resources, and intellectual exchange for activists, practitioners, and scholars of democracy the world over.</p>

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Visions for a Technology-Enabled Democratic Future

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