About Us

Meet the team

The Team

The Fellows

Mariam Chikhladze

Previously, Mariam was working at the International Republican Institute (IRI) as a Senior Program Associate, covering Georgia and Armenia programs from DC. Earlier, in 2015-2017, she was managing the Democracy Education Program at the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) Eastern European Neighborhood Office in Tbilisi. Mariam has also completed the Edmund Muskie Program fellowship in the Center for the Future of the Liberal Society at Hudson Institute. Awarded with the Fulbright Scholarship, Mariam Chikhladze graduated from the Bush School of Public Service and Government, Texas A&M University, holding a Master's Degree in Public Policy Analysis. Earlier in 2013, Mariam graduated from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, School of Law, and Politics with a Master's Degree in International Politics and Diplomacy. Her professional interests lay in security affairs, institution building, and democratic development issues.

Election Integrity Fellow

Ora D. Tanner

Ora D. Tanner is a doctoral researcher in Instructional Technology and Educational Measurement at the University of South Florida and a fellow with the Aspen Tech Policy Hub. She has an extensive background in the use of technologies such as digital games, online learning, animation, and augmented reality to help learners understand complex concepts in science. Ora will bring her knowledge and skills as an experienced instructional designer and researcher to help ​improve disinformation literacy and prepare the public in democratic nations for the implications of deepfakes.

Election Integrity Fellow

Frequently Asked Questions

Why were you formed?

The Economist Intelligence Unit shows that just 4.5 percent of the planet lives in a full democracy. Meanwhile, autocrats and dictators have been in the ascendancy, spurred on by a retreat in global American leadership in recent years. The premise of the Alliance of Democracies is to strengthen the spine of the world’s democracies, to encourage greater cooperation between nations who share common values, to counter spoilers and support those who wish to bring more democracy to their countries. As the world enters a period of technological revolution and disruption, we need to ensure tech is being used for benign purposes and that it enhances democratic processes.

How are you funded?

The AoD is a non-profit organization funded by private sponsors, governments and individuals. In addition, the AoD is also supported by ‘in kind’ donations.

How do you spend your money?

The Alliance’s funds are spent on a small Secretariat that delivers on the program initiatives, and organises the Copenhagen Democracy Summit. Program initiatives include the Democracy Tech Entrepreneur Fellowship Program which seeks to equip Democracy Tech entrepreneurs from emerging democracies with the know-how of starting and scaling successful, democratically driven ventures, our Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, and additional programming around democracy promotion.

How can I get involved?

There are a number of ways to support us, from sharing social media content to making a small donation to the AoD’s work. If you would like to attend the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, please contact [email protected], and join our mailing list to receive our regular update mail ‘Democracy Defender’. Most importantly, the greatest contribution we can all make is to speak up for democracy!