{{Short description|American foreign policy expert (born 1973)}} {{about|the American foreign policy expert born in 1973|the American football coach|Damon Wilson (American football)|the American football player born in 2005|Damon Wilson II}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Damon Wilson |image = Damon WIlson 2021.jpg |office = President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy |term_start = July 2021 |term_end = |predecessor = Carl Gershman |successor = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|5|24}} |birth_place = Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |education = Duke University (BA)<br>Princeton University (MPA) }} '''Damon M. Wilson''' (born May 24, 1973) is an American foreign policy scholar who serves as president and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-02|title=National Endowment for Democracy Names Damon Wilson as New President|url=https://www.ned.org/national-endowment-for-democracy-names-new-president-damon-wilson/|access-date=2022-01-27|website=NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-02|title=Atlantic Council EVP Damon Wilson named President and CEO of National Endowment for Democracy|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/news/press-releases/atlantic-council-evp-damon-wilson-named-president-and-ceo-of-national-endowment-for-democracy/|access-date=2022-01-27|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> a foundation supporting freedom and democracy around the world. From 2011 to 2021, he was the Executive Vice President at the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank focused on international cooperation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Damon Wilson|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/damon-wilson/|access-date=2022-01-27|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> A former civil servant, Wilson served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council during the second term of President George W. Bush.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Damon M. Wilson biography|url=https://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA14/20190402/109245/HHRG-116-FA14-Bio-WilsonD-20190402.pdf|website=U.S. House of Representatives}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Damon Wilson biography|url=https://www.act.nato.int/images/stories/events/2012/id/bio_wilson.pdf|website=NATO}}</ref>
Focusing on international relations, national security, and democracy support, Wilson often testifies before the United States Congress<ref>{{Cite web|title=United States Committee on Armed Services|url=https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/19-01-29-china-and-russia|access-date=2022-01-27|website=www.armed-services.senate.gov|date=29 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Damon Wilson testifies before the House Armed Services Committee| date=February 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXkPjQWsEnU|language=en|access-date=2022-01-27}}</ref> and is a frequent media contributor.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Damon Wilson {{!}} C-SPAN.org|url=https://www.c-span.org/person/?9266956/DamonWilson|access-date=2022-01-27|website=www.c-span.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilson|first=David J. Kramer and Damon|title=Ukraine on the brink|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/05/28/ukraine-on-the-brink/|access-date=2022-01-27|website=Foreign Policy|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Wilson was born in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended Duke University as a Benjamin N. Duke Scholar and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1995. While at Duke, he lived in Estonia during its first year of regained independence, interned for US Senator Ernest Hollings of South Carolina, and worked for the Unaccompanied Children in Exile Project in Croatia. Following graduation, Wilson was awarded the inaugural Hart Leadership Fellowship, working as a project officer in Rwanda with Save the Children from 1995 to 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-07-19 |title=Fellows Work Index: Damon Wilson, 1995-1996 |url=http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/centers/hlp/programs/fellows/dwilson/dwilson.html |access-date=2022-01-28 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719212124/http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/centers/hlp/programs/fellows/dwilson/dwilson.html |archive-date=19 July 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Damon Wilson.|url=https://hart.sanford.duke.edu/project/damon-wilson-2/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Hart Leadership Program|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Building a Foundation for International Service|url=https://today.duke.edu/2009/10/biddle.html|access-date=2022-01-28|website=today.duke.edu|date=14 October 2009 |language=en}}</ref> During the fellowship, Wilson supported programming to assist children who lost or were separated from their parents in the wake of the Rwandan genocide.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-07-19|title=Fellows Work Index: Damon Wilson, 1995-1996|url=http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/centers/hlp/programs/fellows/dwilson/dwilson.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719212124/http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/centers/hlp/programs/fellows/dwilson/dwilson.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-07-19|access-date=2022-01-28}}</ref>
Wilson completed a Master of Public Administration at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1998. During his studies, he interned in the African Affairs Directorate of the National Security Council led by Susan Rice. After graduation, Wilson was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow and assigned to the State Department’s NATO office, working for Ron Asmus, under the tenure of Secretary Madeleine Albright; his fellowship included tours on the China desk and to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing from 1998 to 2001.<ref>{{Cite web|title=US Atlantic Council VP Damon Wilson: NATO Needs Unified Political Front in Afghanistan - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency|url=https://www.novinite.com/articles/123520/US+Atlantic+Council+VP+Damon+Wilson%3A+NATO+Needs+Unified+Political+Front+in+Afghanistan|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.novinite.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-22 |title=Damon Wilson - NATO Week |url=https://natoweek.rs/en/speakers/biographies/151-mr-damon-wilson |access-date=2022-01-28 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122190455/https://natoweek.rs/en/speakers/biographies/151-mr-damon-wilson |archive-date=22 January 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Career== For over twenty years, Wilson has helped shape U.S. strategy and national security policy in regards to NATO and US-European relations to advance freedom and security around the world. He is an advocate for strengthening democratic alliances to address security challenges, believing “US interests are best served when Washington and its allies act in unison.”<ref>{{Cite web|title=United States Committee on Armed Services|url=https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/19-01-29-china-and-russia|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.armed-services.senate.gov|date=29 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Wilson views authoritarian Russia and China as “the main geopolitical challenge of the 21st century,” and that “there is no possible successful strategy to confront Putin’s aggression without a strong NATO.”<ref>{{Cite web|title=United States Committee on Armed Services|url=https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/19-01-29-china-and-russia|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.armed-services.senate.gov|date=29 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=An Open Letter To The Obama Administration From Central And Eastern Europe|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/An_Open_Letter_To_The_Obama_Administration_From_Central_And_Eastern_Europe/1778449.html|access-date=2022-01-28|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=16 July 2009 |language=en}}</ref>
From July 2001 to January 2004, Wilson served as deputy director of the Office of the NATO Secretary General, assisting Lord Robertson to transform the Alliance by enlarging NATO membership, implementing the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and adapting Allied capabilities to face modern threats.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-22 |title=Damon Wilson - NATO Week |url=https://natoweek.rs/en/speakers/biographies/151-mr-damon-wilson |access-date=2022-01-28 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122190455/https://natoweek.rs/en/speakers/biographies/151-mr-damon-wilson |archive-date=22 January 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In this role, Wilson also supported NATO efforts to broker the Ohrid Agreement to avert civil war in Macedonia.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2001-06-14|title=Nato presses for Macedonia peace|language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1387692.stm|access-date=2022-01-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2001-06-21|title=West in last-ditch effort to avert Macedonia war|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/west-in-lastditch-effort-to-avert-macedonia-war-9245365.html|access-date=2022-01-28|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref>
From January 2004 to November 2006, as Director for Central, Eastern and Northern European Affairs at the National Security Council, Wilson coordinated U.S. interagency policy on Ukraine during the Orange Revolution, directed efforts to deepen engagement in Central and Eastern Europe, including the expansion of secure visa-free travel, and promoted close consultation with coalition partners in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also played a leading role in implementing the Belarus Democracy Act.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Damon|last2=Kramer|first2=David J.|date=2010-11-01|title=When Sanctions Work: The Belarus Buckle|url=https://www.the-american-interest.com/2010/11/01/when-sanctions-work-the-belarus-buckle/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=The American Interest|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2007, Wilson served as the executive secretary and chief of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, where he helped to manage the largest embassy in the world and implement a ‘civilian surge’ throughout Iraq. From December 2007 to January 2009, as Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, Wilson led U.S. government efforts to advance a Europe whole, free and at peace. He notably managed interagency policy on NATO, the European Union, Georgia, Ukraine, the Balkans, Eurasian energy security and Turkey, and helped plan numerous presidential visits to Europe, including the Bucharest NATO Summit and the 2008 US-EU Summit.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2008 U.S.-EU Summit|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/eusummit/2008/index.html|access-date=2022-01-28|website=georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov}}</ref>
From 2009 to 2011, Wilson directed the International Security program at the Atlantic Council think tank,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-04-02|title=Damon Wilson New International Security Program Director|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/news/press-releases/damon-wilson-new-international-security-program-director/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> transforming it into the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/scowcroft-center-for-strategy-and-security/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2011, he was promoted to the role of Executive Vice President.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Damon Wilson|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/damon-wilson/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> At the Atlantic Council, Wilson championed American leadership,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-12|title=An opportunity for transformational leadership|url=https://thefrontierpost.com/an-opportunity-for-transformational-leadership/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=The Frontier Post|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128010448/https://thefrontierpost.com/an-opportunity-for-transformational-leadership/|url-status=dead}}</ref> a strong NATO,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Future of NATO After Libya {{!}} C-SPAN.org|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?301251-5/future-nato-libya&event=301251&playEvent|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.c-span.org|language=en-us}}</ref> continued NATO enlargement,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kulat|first=Cathi|date=2012-05-18|title=Continue NATO expansion|url=https://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/228315-continue-nato-expansion|access-date=2022-01-28|website=TheHill|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-07|title=Enlarge NATO to Ensure Peace in Europe|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/enlarge-nato-to-ensure-peace-in-europe/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> support for democratic reforms in Ukraine and the Balkans, positioning US and NATO forces in the Baltic states,<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 January 2019|title=Damon Wilson testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee {{!}} Permanent Deterrence and Bolstered Alliances in an Era of Great Power Competition|url=https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Wilson_01-29-19.pdf|website=United States Senate Committee on Armed Services}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Damon Wilson|url=https://greatdecisions.tv/about/past-seasons/the-intervention-calculation/damon-wilson/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809111046/https://www.greatdecisions.tv/about/past-seasons/the-intervention-calculation/damon-wilson/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 9, 2020|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Great Decisions|language=en-US}}</ref> and efforts to counter authoritarian powers Russia and China.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Hadley|first1=Stephen J.|last2=Wilson|first2=Damon|date=2014-03-03|title=Putin's takeover of Crimea is part of a larger strategy|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/putins-takeover-of-crimea-is-part-of-a-larger-strategy/2014/03/03/a9cd5d7a-a2ec-11e3-84d4-e59b1709222c_story.html|access-date=2022-01-28|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> He also defended global LGBT rights, hosting global leaders for Pride and launching several diversity and inclusion programs within the organization.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Out in global leadership: Fighting coronavirus and injustice|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/out-in-global-leadership-fighting-coronavirus-and-injustice/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pride & National Security: A Fireside Chat with Damon Wilson and Dr. Tess Bridgeman {{!}} The Truman National Security Project|url=https://www.trumanproject.org/our-work-posts/pride-national-security-a-fireside-chat-with-damon-wilson-and-dr-tess-bridgeman|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.trumanproject.org}}</ref> During his tenure, he helped launch the Millennium Leadership Program,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Millennium Leadership Program|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/millennium-leadership-program/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/middle-east-programs/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> the Europe Center,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Europe Center|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/europe-center/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> the Balkans Forward Initiative,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-11-07|title=Balkans Forward|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/balkans-forward-content-series/balkans-forward-2/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> and the Digital Forensic Research Lab.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/digital-forensic-research-lab/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref>
In June 2021, Wilson was named as the President and chief executive officer of the National Endowment for Democracy, succeeding Carl Gershman.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-02|title=National Endowment for Democracy Names Damon Wilson as New President|url=https://www.ned.org/national-endowment-for-democracy-names-new-president-damon-wilson/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY|language=en-US}}</ref> During his first few months, he managed the safe passage of 923 Afghan grantees, staff and their family members during the 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-01-12|title=2021 in Review: Message from NED President and CEO Damon Wilson|url=https://www.ned.org/2021-in-review-message-from-ned-president-and-ceo-damon-wilson/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-12-16|title=Evacuated Afghan artists paint a mural in Albania's capital|url=https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-travel-lifestyle-tirana-europe-d52a0f62b23c517da0b2a692a41a0b5e|access-date=2022-01-28|website=AP NEWS|language=en}}</ref> In December 2021, alongside USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Wilson moderated a session on human rights and press freedom during the Summit for Democracy.<ref>{{Citation|title=EN {{!}} The Summit for Democracy Day 2| date=10 December 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw2bfsjTXhA|language=en|access-date=2022-01-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Schedule - The Summit for Democracy|url=https://www.state.gov/schedule-the-summit-for-democracy/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=United States Department of State|language=en}}</ref>
== Awards and affiliations == Wilson has been decorated by the presidents and governments of Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, and the Slovak Republic for his efforts to advance transatlantic relations. In 2006, he was presented with the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-09-11|title=Köztársasági Elnöki Hivatal|url=http://www.solyomlaszlo.hu/kituntetesek_allami.html|access-date=2022-01-28|website=archive.ph|archive-date=2012-09-11|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911020608/http://www.solyomlaszlo.hu/kituntetesek_allami.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, Estonian President Toomas Ilves awarded Wilson with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana.<ref>{{Cite web|title=president.ee|url=https://www.president.ee/en/state-decorations/bearers-of-decorations/11952-damon-m-wilson|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.president.ee}}</ref> In 2017, Wilson was presented with the Order of the Golden Fleece by Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vice President of Atlantic Council receives Georgian state award|url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2017/2244|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Agenda.ge}}</ref> In 2018, Wilson received the Czech and Slovak Transatlantic Award by GLOBSEC.<ref>{{Cite web|title=GLOBSEC 2018: Remarks by Damon M. Wilson|url=https://www.globsec.org/news/globsec-2018-remarks-damon-m-wilson/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=GLOBSEC|language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2021, Wilson was awarded an Order of Merit by the Estonia Ministry of Foreign Affairs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=ERR|first=ERR News {{!}}|date=2021-01-22|title=Tikhanovskaya awarded Estonian foreign ministry's Order of Merit|url=https://news.err.ee/1608082837/tikhanovskaya-awarded-estonian-foreign-ministry-s-order-of-merit|access-date=2022-01-28|website=ERR|language=en}}</ref>
Wilson currently serves on the board of the Truman Center for National Policy,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Truman Center for National Policy Welcomes Damon Wilson as Board Member {{!}} Truman Center for National Policy|url=https://www.trumancenter.org/news-posts/truman-center-for-national-policy-welcomes-damon-wilson-as-board-member|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.trumancenter.org}}</ref> is a Trustee of the Belarus Free Theatre,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Belarus Free Theatre Trustees|url=https://belarusfreetheatre.com/our-people/trustees/|website=Belarus Free Theatre}}</ref> and is a member of the Ohrid Group<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-13|title=The Ohrid Group: Now is the time|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/now-is-the-time/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Atlantic Council|language=en-US}}</ref> and the International Advisory Council at GLOBSEC.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-07-12|title=International Advisory Council|url=https://www.globsec.org/about/international-advisory-council/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=GLOBSEC|language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Personal life == Wilson lives with his husband in Washington, D.C. and part-time in Charleston, SC. His mother, Mary Thornley, is President of Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bowers|first=Paul|title=After 45 years, President Mary Thornley isn't finished at Trident Tech|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/news/after-45-years-president-mary-thornley-isnt-finished-at-trident-tech/article_279ef492-a582-11e8-a9aa-13f7fdedf3fc.html|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Post and Courier|date=25 August 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Damon}} Category:Duke University alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Charleston, South Carolina Category:Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni Category:Recipients of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Georgia) Category:Atlantic Council Category:National Endowment for Democracy Category:1973 births