Agenda

Day 1: Summit for Democracy, Year of Action Overview, and “Show and Tell” | April 19, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. EST  

Welcome 

(Marianne Toussaint, Summit for Democracy Coordinator, U.S. Department of State)

Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal Overview 

(Steven Rozner, Senior Advisor, Governance Team, DRG Center)

Year of Action and Country Commitments Overview 

(Austin Doehler, Program Analyst in the Policy Office of USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning, and Learning)

Breakout Groups

(Communications partners to bring responses to pre-workshop questionnaire for discussion)

Implementing Partner Short Presentations 

(Communications partners “show and tell” – best of recent stories highlighting how “democracy delivers” against the backdrop of backsliding) 

Day 2: Organizing Politically Salient Visual Disinformation | April 20, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST

Presentation 

(Tim Weninger, “Frank M. Friemann Collegiate Associate Professor of Engineering” at the University of Notre Dame)

Day 3: New Anti-Corruption, Democracy, and Inclusive   Development Initiatives and Approaches | April 21, 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 am EST

Welcome

(Shannon Green, Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Task Force and a Senior Advisor to the Administrator at USAID)

Anti-Corruption Task Force 101 

(Megan Levanduski, Communications Officer for USAID’s Anti-Corruption Task Force and Public Affairs Officer in the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation)

New Democracy Campaign Overview 

(Sahar Kalifa, Senior Communications Advisor and Content Specialist, USAID’s Legislative and Public Affairs)

Inclusive Development Overview 

(Inclusive Development Hub speaker TBD)

Panelist Biographies

Austin Doehler is a Program Analyst in the Policy Office of USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning, and Learning. He covers a variety of issue areas, including democracy, conflict, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). One his main roles is serving as a member of USAID’s executive team for the Summit for Democracy. Prior to joining USAID he worked in the think tank space, where he primarily conducted research and published on European affairs, the influence of the PRC, and democracy and governance issues. His research has been published in several outlets, including War on the Rocks, The Hill, and The National Interest. He holds a master’s degree from George Washington University. 

Shannon N. Green is the Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Task Force and a Senior Advisor to the Administrator at USAID. Before rejoining USAID in 2021, Shannon oversaw global programs at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) and led the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Prior to going into the non-profit sector, Shannon served in the U.S. Government for over a decade in a variety of roles, including as the Senior Director for Global Engagement on the National Security Council and as the Middle East Coordinator in USAID’s Center for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance. 

Megan Levanduski is the Communications Officer for USAID's Anti-Corruption Task Force and Public Affairs Officer in the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation. In her current role, she focuses on strategic communications for the Task Force and supports anti-corruption related communications efforts across the agency. She has been at USAID in public and congressional affairs capacities for over 6 years, with over 14 years experience in government and international development, particularly in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

Steve Rozner is a Senior Advisor in the DRG Center’s Governance Team. In this capacity, he supports the Agency's programming, technical leadership, and international cooperation in the area of public financial management. He also serves on USAID’s Summit for Democracy Executive Team as Agency coordinator for the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal. Steve has more than 20 years of experience designing, managing, and implementing technical assistance in fiscal policy and governance in countries spanning Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the LAC region. He earned a Master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College.

Marianne Toussaint is the State Department’s Summit for Democracy Coordinator, overseeing a team focused on leading the Summit for Democracy’s Year of Action and planning for the second summit.  Prior to this position, she led the Anti-crime Sanctions and Deterrence Tools Branch in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), which manages a variety of sanctions and other tools to promote accountability for transnational criminals and corrupt officials.  She has also served at the Department’s Anticorruption Team Lead, a Senior Watch Officer in the Department’s Operations Center, the Kosovo Desk Officer, and as a press officer.  Marianne is a career civil service officer. She has a Masters in international studies from American University. 

Tim Weninger is the Frank M. Friemann Collegiate Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. His research in social media and artificial intelligence looks to better understand how humans create and consume information, especially in online social systems. He leads the Advancing Media Literacy Program in Indonesia and will talk to us today about how his work is improving the media ecosystem in Indonesia and around the world.