Back NDI Staff: Biographies Tom Cormier Tom Cormier is NDI’s resident director for Southern Africa, where he is responsible for the Institute’s work in Zimbabwe, as well as for two regional programs to increase women’s political participation and strengthen domestic election monitoring organizations. During his professional career, Tom has worked with and advised politicians and activists in Canada, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Eurasia on communications, outreach, policy development, government relations, parliamentary affairs, political party strengthening, election observation, citizen participation and civil society capacity building. Before his current appointment in 2006, Tom served for more than four years as deputy resident director and director of governance programs with NDI’s Jakarta, Indonesia office where he managed programs to assist with legislature reform, to support the professional development of elected officials and staff at the national and local levels, and to increase citizen participation in the legislative process. For three years previous to that, Tom was NDI’s resident director in Ukraine, where he directed programs to foster coalition-building among political forces, to strengthen political parties and the national parliament, to promote civil society development and to improve the independent monitoring of elections. Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Tom spent more than a decade involved in Canadian provincial and federal politics. During this period, he participated in numerous election campaigns and worked at the House of Commons as an assistant and advisor to several elected officials, including serving as executive assistant to Canada's Secretary of State for Rural Economic Development. Tom graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa with a degree in Political Science and Economics and also studied Université Laval in Quebec City. He speaks English, French, Indonesian, Swedish and conversational Ukrainian.