John Stapleton
- Areas of Expertise
- Leadership Team
John O. Stapleton is the Director of Communications (Acting) at the International Republican Institute (IRI). In this role he leads all external communications on behalf of IRI and its democracy programs in over 100 countries. John serves as the official spokesperson for IRI and coordinates the development and execution of editorial strategy. He also works closely with the Government Affairs Division on important legislative matters related to IRI funding and programming.
Before joining IRI, John spent eight years on Capitol Hill in both the House and Senate in a variety of policy and communications roles. His time as a staffer in Congress included stints as a Senior Advisor to the Committee on Homeland Security and as a Senior Professional Staff Member at the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives. John earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science from American University and completed a master’s degree in global affairs at George Mason University.
He is a former term member with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and lives in Virginia with his wife and two sons.