Brian Joseph

Brian Joseph is Vice President, Programs at the National Endowment for Democracy, a Congressionally-funded nonprofit grant-making organization. He has over 20 years of experience working to advance democracy and human rights. Prior to assuming his current job, Brian served as the Senior Director for Asia and Global Programs at the Endowment for eight years.

Brian has spoken widely and written about Burma, Pakistan, Thailand, human rights in Asia, and democracy promotion in closed societies. His areas of interest include philanthropy, opposition movements, independent media, and minority rights. He appears regularly in the media, including on the PBS NewsHour, the Diane Rehm Show, The World, CNN and Aljazeera and his articles have been published in the Journal of Democracy, The Chronicle Review, The International Herald Tribune, and the SAIS Review.

Brian has testified before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and the Canadian Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International trade, provided high-level briefings for State Department officials, and lectured at the Foreign Service Institute. He has also participated in pre-assessment and election monitoring missions. Brian formerly served as co-convener of the Burma Donors’ Forum, a volunteer South Asia regional coordinator for Amnesty International USA, and a member of the International Human Rights Funders’ Group. He has a BA in History from Colorado College and an MA in South Asian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.