NDI Staff: Biographies
Bjarte Tørå
Bjarte Tørå brings more than 30 years of experience in democratic development in general and political parties in particular to his position as country director for NDI's program in Nairobi, Kenya. Before joining NDI, Mr. Tørå served as international secretary for six years and deputy secretary general for seven years of the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) of Norway. In those capacities, he directed training programs for all levels of the party organization, and organized CDP support for the development and democratization of political parties in countries such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia, among others. He has also acted as an election observer in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. Mr. Tørå was an elected official in Norway for 16 years, serving as a member of a municipal council, deputy member of a county council and deputy member of parliament. He holds a degree in religion from the Lutheran School of Theology and a degree in teaching from the Notodden College of Teacher Education.