John DiPirro is a foreign policy expert with over 15 years of experience leading international development programs, with a focus on democracy, human rights, and governance across the Eurasia region. He is currently a Senior Fellow for Eurasia with the American Foreign Policy Council and its Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, where he publishes research on political strategy, regional security, and geoeconomics.
From 2018 to 2025, he served as the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Resident Program Director in Georgia, following a similar role in the Kyrgyz Republic from 2014 to 2018. In both positions, he directed high-impact initiatives in political party development, public policy, strategic communications, public opinion research, youth civic engagement, coalition-building, and conflict mitigation. John has provided strategic counsel to political parties and leaders at both national and local levels throughout Asia, Eurasia, and Europe. He has also contributed to numerous international election observation and assessment missions, advancing democratic integrity through expert analysis and engagement.
Prior to his work with IRI, John was Operations Manager for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in Central Asia, where he led regional programming to promote transparent elections and strengthen youth civic participation. He began his international career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kyrgyz Republic, where he implemented grassroots human rights initiatives and later served as a human rights specialist for USAID Kyrgyzstan’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy team
In the United States, John worked in the private sector at a legal consulting firm in Chicago, advising global law firms and Fortune 500 companies on organizational effectiveness and change management. He also held internships with the Atlantic Council and a U.S. Senator.
John holds an M.A. in International Conflict Analysis from the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies and a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola University Chicago. He has worked professionally in Georgian, Russian, Kyrgyz, Italian, and Spanish.