Jane Hurtig has supported democracy strengthening activities for close to 20 years in Canada, Haiti, Iraq, Mauritania and Pakistan, specializing in civil society, elections, youth and women´s political participation programming. Ms. Hurtig has worked for NDI since 2007, working as resident director for the Institute´s field office in Mauritania. As director she designed and managed a community leadership program and a program to support the development of a national reconciliation process. From 2009 to 2011, she was the deputy country director in Iraq, providing strategic direction for programs focusing on national election monitoring, civil society engagement, women and youth participation. Early in 2012, Ms. Hurtig acted as resident program director in Pakistan designing campaign schools for women candidates and youth campaign managers. In August of 2012, she assumed the role of resident country director in Haiti, supporting a nation-wide civil society program, the development and support of a women’s parliamentary caucus and MP town hall programming.

Prior to joining NDI, Ms. Hurtig served as a legislative assistant for the Government of Canada, ministerial assistant for the Government of British Columbia and coordinator of volunteer services for the BC Cancer Agency Vancouver Island Centre. Ms. Hurtig also brings in-depth knowledge of electoral assistance and democratic processes acquired through experience as a campaign organizer; she served across Canada as a municipal, provincial and federal campaign organizer for the Canadian New Democratic Party from 1991 to 2001 and on election planning committees. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Carleton University.