The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Deborah Ullmer is NDI’s deputy director for Southern and East Africa programs. Ms. Ullmer brings to position more than a decade of experience working on a range of democracy assistance programs on behalf of the Institute. She provided assistance to national election monitoring groups in Guatemala and Guyana, where she served as resident representative in 2003 and from 1996 to 1998 respectively. Ms. Ullmer also organized joint NDI/Carter Center international observation missions for presidential elections in the Palestinian Authority in 2005 and the Dominican Republic in 2000.

Julian Quibell is NDI's resident director in Nicaragua, having previously served as the director of the Institute's offices in Mexico (2004-2012). These programs have worked to support domestic election observation, electoral reform, civic education and civil society advocacy. In addition, Quibell has designed and implemented programs to strengthen the organizational capacity of political parties and increase the political participation of women and youth.

Kenneth Wollack is president of NDI. He has been actively involved in foreign affairs, journalism and politics since 1972.

Mr. Wollack joined NDI in 1986 as executive vice president. The Institute's board of directors, then chaired by former Vice President Walter Mondale, elected him president in March 1993.

Mr.Wollack has traveled extensively in Eastern and Central Europe, the former Soviet Union, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa on behalf of the Institute's political development programs.

Kathy Gest is director of public affairs at NDI, which she joined in 2007 after a 30-year career in Washington, D.C., as a journalist, Capitol Hill staff member and public affairs consultant. She came to NDI from Powell Tate | Weber Shandwick, where she co-chaired the international practice, advising foreign governments, embassies, organizations and corporations seeking to achieve public policy goals in the U.S. and abroad.