Courtney Hess is the Deputy Regional Director for Southern and East Africa at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), providing leadership, guidance, and support to the Institute’s programs on election integrity, accountability, and citizen participation in the region. Before this role, Courtney served as Program Director for Southern and East Africa, focusing on the Institute’s programs in Malawi, Sudan, and Zambia. Previously, she spent more than a decade supporting democracy and governance programs in West Africa. As a member of NDI’s Central and West Africa team, Courtney supported citizen observation, civic participation, political party, and international election observation programs, including in the DRC, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. She previously worked with Search for Common Ground, based in Jos, Nigeria, where she supported peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and election violence prevention programs. Courtney holds a Master of Arts in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hanover College.
