Tess McEnery
Tess McEnery is POMED's Executive Director. Ms. McEnery has dedicated her career to standing up for a U.S. foreign policy that advances democracy, protects civic space, and defends universal human rights. She has significant expertise working on conflict prevention, stabilization, fragile states, elections, political transitions, and the strategic use of foreign assistance and foreign policy. Ms. McEnery served two tours as a Director for Democracy and Human Rights at the White House National Security Council. At the State Department, she led a Global Democracy and Human Rights Policy Team and served as a Senior Conflict Prevention Advisor. Ms. McEnery began her career at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she managed some of USAID's largest foreign assistance mechanisms and pioneered the agency's electoral security initiative. Ms. McEnery received her Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Guilford College.
From Tess McEnery
Egypt + more
MENA + more
Saudi Arabia + more
Commentary – Democracy Over Autocracy: The Missing Middle East
Tess McEnery In the News
"The NSC Democracy Directorate reliably asserts that democracy and human rights are not just values, but vital national security interests. It remains difficult to get other national security officials on board with this approach. . . . It would require people willing to break with the status quo to implement democracy and human rights as the center of our foreign policy."
Why America can't seem to quit Saudi Arabia
, 11/17/2022
TessMcEnery
"Countries that are democratic and respect human rights, at the end of the day, are more stable, more peaceful, more prosperous, and better allies."
Events Featuring Tess McEnery
Ahead of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit: Examining Egypt's Record on Anti-Corruption and Women's Rights