Stephen Nix joined IRI in October 2000, as Regional Director for Eurasia.  In that position, he oversees programs in Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldavia, Russia and Ukraine.

Nix joined IRI after serving for two years as Senior Democracy Specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development.  Nix is a specialist in political party development, and judicial and legal reform in the former Soviet Union.

Nix resided in Kyiv, Ukraine, for more than three years.  During that time, he served as outside legal counsel for the Committee on Legal Reform in the Ukrainian Parliament.  He also assisted in the drafting of crucial reform legislation in Ukraine, including the constitution of Ukraine, the presidential and parliamentary election laws, and the law on the constitutional court of Ukraine.  Nix also served as a member of the Parliamentary Special Committee on the Law on the Election of Deputies in Ukraine.  He has lectured in a number of law schools throughout Ukraine on such topics as election law and judicial reform.

Nix served as legal counsel to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in Ukraine and Russia, and has written extensively on legal and political reforms in the region.  Among his publications is The Compendium of Election Laws of Central and Eastern Europe (1994).

Nix received his juris doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1989.  He worked in the litigation section of the law firm of Baker and Hostetler in Washington, DC from 1989 to 1994, where he specialized in election law and international law.

Prior to entering the practice of law, Nix served as Midwest field director for the National Republican Congressional Committee and was the Campaign Manager for the Republican candidate in Indiana's Second Congressional District. 

Steve’s Speeches, Testimony and Writings:

Assessing Ukraine’s Parliamentary Elections (PDF)

Democratization in the Caucasus: Elections in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia (PDF)

Ukraine’s Upcoming Elections: A Pivotal Moment (PDF)

Reflections on Ukraine’s Past Elections

Business as Usual? Belarus on the Eve of Elections 

Support for Belarusian Opposition

Freedom Denied: Belarus on the Eve of Elections (PDF)

Belarus – What More Can be Done 

Developments in Ukraine Following the Orange Revolution (PDF)

The First 100 Days of Yushchenko's Presidency 

Women and Political Participation 

Democracy on the Retreat in Russia (PDF)

Helping Ukraine to Reach the Safe Shore 

The Deteriorating Political Situation in Belarus