Senior Staff

Lorne W. Craner
President

Lorne Craner returned to the International Republican Institute (IRI) as President on August 2, 2004, following his unanimous selection by IRI’s Board of Directors. Since then he has led the strengthening of IRI’s programs in countries such as China, Colombia, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey. IRI has also broadened its work in areas such as governance, women’s participation, access for the disabled, and the use of technology in democracy promotion... more >>

Judy Van Rest
Executive Vice President

Judy Van Rest was appointed Executive Vice President for the International Republican Institute (IRI) on August 2, 2004. She also serves on the Board of the United States Institute of Peace. From April 14, 2003, to July 1, 2004, she served as Senior Advisor for Governance for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), Baghdad, Iraq. In that capacity, she conducted outreach programs for Iraqi women to assist them in participating in the democratic development of their country... more >>

Georges A. Fauriol
Senior Vice President

Georges A. Fauriol joined the International Republican Institute (IRI) in October 2001. He currently serves as Senior Vice President with particular responsibilities for strategic planning, program development and long term evaluation. He has also served as Vice President of Strategic Planning and served as Acting President in summer 2004. Before joining the staff of IRI, Fauriol participated in many IRI assessment missions, training workshops, and election observations beginning in the late 1980s... more >>

Elizabeth Dugan
Vice President for Programs

Elizabeth Dugan was appointed Vice President for Programs at IRI in February 2005. Prior to returning to IRI, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) at the U.S. Department of State, where she directed the bureau’s Human Rights and Democracy Fund and oversaw the management of nearly 250 grants, totaling $200 million... more >>

Harold W. Collamer
Chief Operations Officer

Hal Collamer returned to the International Republican Institute (IRI) in November of 2004. He is a financial manager and CPA, with more than 30 years of high-level experience in financial and account analysis, planning, budgeting, IT systems, financial reporting, audit and general management. Before joining IRI, Collamer worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development where he served for 20 years before retiring in 1987. While there his assignments included mission controller in India, Peru, Philippines and Kenya... more >>

Sonya Vekstein
Chief Financial Officer

Sonya Vekstein returned to the International Republican Institute (IRI) as chief financial officer (CFO) in February of 2005. As the CFO, Vekstein directs domestic and international financial operations, monitors grants to international nongovernmental organizations, ensures compliance with donor regulations - U.S. Agency for International Development, National Endowment for Democracy, and the U.S. Department of State. She also supervises all audits...more >>

Cynthia R. Bunton
Regional Program Director, Asia

Cynthia R. Bunton joined IRI as Director of the Asia division in November 2004. In that position she oversees programs in Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Prior to joining IRI, she served as a career Foreign Service Officer whose last assignment was Office Director of the Office of Country Reports and Asylum Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Overseas, she served as Consul for Political, Economic and Commercial Affairs...more >>

Stephanie Blanton
Regional Program Director, Africa

Stephanie Blanton joined the International Republican Institute (IRI) in June 2003. She currently serves as Regional Program Director for Africa, overseeing programs in Angola, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Somaliland, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe and the Muslim Women's Advocacy Program. Prior to her appointment as Regional Program Director in May 2006, Blanton served as Deputy Regional Program Director for Africa, a position she was appointed to in January 2006. Blanton returned to Washington, D.C., after working overseas for IRI in Sudan, Malawi and Nigeria...more >>

Stephen B. Nix
Regional Program Director, Eurasia

Stephen Nix joined the International Republican Institute (IRI) in October 2000, as Regional Program Director for Eurasia. In that position, he oversees programs in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldavia, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan...more >>

Lindsay Lloyd
Regional Program Director, Europe

Lindsay Lloyd joined the International Republican Institute (IRI) in 1995. He currently serves as Regional Program Director for Europe overseeing programs in Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and a 16-country regional program... more >>

Paul Fagan
Acting Regional Program Director, Latin America and the Caribbean

Thomas E. Garrett
Regional Program Director, Middle East and North Africa

Tom Garrett joined the International Republican Institute (IRI) in November 1994. He currently serves as Regional Program Director for the Middle East and North Africa where he oversees programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia and the West Bank and Gaza...more >>

Gretchen Birkle
Director, Women's Democracy Network

Gretchen Birkle returned to the International Republican Institute (IRI) in June of 2006 to fill the newly created position of Director of the Women's Democracy Network. In that role, Gretchen oversees IRI's initiative to empower women for greater participation in their country's political and civic life. The network reaches women in developing democracies around the world...more >>

David Puening
Director of Administration

David A. Puening joined the International Republican Institute (IRI) in January 2006. He has more than 30 years of experience in all phases of human resources management and administration. Prior to coming to IRI, Puening worked for six years as Vice President of Administration with Citizens Development Corps, a nongovernmental organization involved with economic development around the world. It was there that he gained his international human resources experience... more >>

Colleen House
Director, International Political Liaison

Colleen House is the International Republican Institute's (IRI) Director of International Political Liaison. She is responsible for the identification of domestic and foreign trainers for IRI missions and election observations. In addition, she oversees the administration of the Consortium for Elections and Political Processes Strengthening (CEPPS)...more >>

Shawn Beighle
Director, IT and Telecommunications

Shawn Beighle joined the International Republican Institute (IRI) in 1999. Beighle began his career in the technology and telecommunications fields as a Telecommunications Specialist in the United States Navy. After serving in Desert Storm and receiving a National Defense Medal, two Battle Efficiency awards and the Navy Achievement Medal, he was honorably discharged from service in 1994...more >>

Sondra Govatski
Grants Administrator

Sondra Govatski joined the International Republican Institute (IRI) as grants administrator in April 2005. In that position she is the central coordinator for all grant activities of IRI. Prior to joining IRI, Govatski served as program coordinator for the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) from March 2002 to April 2005. In that position she oversaw the administrative and fiscal management of economic support funds for worldwide programs...more >>

Lisa Gates
Press Secretary

Lisa Gates joined IRI as press secretary in December 2004. In that role, she coordinates media outreach and serves as a spokesperson for all of the Institute’s programs. During her time at IRI, Gates has also monitored elections in the Afghanistan, Kenya, the Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Nigeria and Ukraine. Prior to joining IRI, Gates served as public affairs officer and director of the International Press Center for the Coalition Provisional Authority and the U.S. Mission in Baghdad, Iraq... more >>