ABOUT US

We are dedicated to strengthening the democratic system with consequential Citizens' Assemblies. We provide technical guidance, build deliberative capacity, and develop best practices through a rigorous learning agenda.

Working alongside North American practitioners and experts, we work to integrate their wealth of experience with insights from European successes in order to advance democratic innovation.

OUR STRATEGIC PILLARS

A three-fold approach to accelerating impact

SCALING DEEP

Embedding a culture of democratic participation through advocacy, awareness-raising, and capacity building. We engage with civil society, educators, and media to elevate deliberative democracy in public discourse and policy circles. Through trainings, public speaking, and the Citizens’ Assembly Schools, we equip public servants, elected officials, and community leaders with the tools to design, deliver, and champion deliberative processes that are representative, equitable, and impactful.

SCALING DOWN

Expanding the reach and quality of Citizens’ Assemblies through hands-on technical support, design oversight, and evaluation. From issue framing to sortition and facilitation, we advise governments and institutions to ensure assemblies meet rigorous standards. We also lead learning agendas—collecting data, comparing models, and sharing insights—to help practitioners continuously improve and adapt to local contexts.

SCALING UP

Fostering movement-building initiatives and achieving institutional and legal reform. We support long-term strategies to integrate deliberative democracy into governance structures—from permanent assemblies to mandates for citizen participation. We collaborate with allies across academia, government, and civil society to push for systemic change, advocating for frameworks that make meaningful citizen engagement a democratic norm rather than an exception.

TEAM

  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Movement builder, strategic policy advisor, researcher and practitioner. She is a fierce believer in citizen-centric, inclusive, responsive and impactful government-led engagement that provide citizens with consequential voice in policy reform.

    Marjan is a Berggruen Institute Future of Democracy Fellow, an IDEA Senior Fellow, a Senior Associate at MASS LBP, and Strategic Program Director of the Democratic Action Fund. She is on the steering committee of Global Innovations and Democracy (GID) and serves on several boards including Healthy Democracy, the American Friends Service Committee, Apolitical Academy and the Local Policy Lab. She was one of four guarantors selected to the Collège des Garants of the French Citizens’ Convention on the End of Life (Convention Citoyenne sur la Fin de Vie) (2022-2023) and on the Oversight Committee of G1000’s We Need To Talk Citizens’ Panel (2022-2023).

    Contact:

    marjan@fidemocracy.org

    LinkedIn

  • COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

    Ansel Herz is a communications professional with extensive experience in the U.S. Congress and the news media. He worked previously for DemocracyNext, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Pramila Jayapal.

    Ansel studied journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and was a finalist for the Washington Coalition for Open Government Bunting Award. He speaks English and Haitian Creole. 

    Contact: ansel.herz@gmail.com

  • GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

    FIDE - Europe & North America

    Miguel holds a BA in Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Santiago. Started his professional career at Eurocities, where he collaborated in the development of its citizens’ engagement principles and organized cooperation events for cities and municipalities across Europe.

    At FIDE, he is responsible for coordinating our communications across Europe and North America, as well as the organization of our Citizens’ Assembly Schools.

    Contact: miguel.gonzalez@fide.eu

    LinkedIn

LEARNING SERIES

  • LEARNING SERIES RESEARCH COORDINATOR

    Pim is a second-year PhD student in political theory with a focus on plebeian politics, radical democracy, and critical theory. Currently, his projects look at the ways in which people experience political life within modern democracy and anti-oligarchic institutional design.

    At FIDE - North America, he leads the team of evaluators behind the Citizens Assemblies Learning Series.

    Contact:

    pim@fidemocracy.org

  • RESEARCH COORDINATOR

    Mary is a recent graduate of Hamilton College where she majored in Public Policy and minored in French. She began to research citizens’ assemblies during her junior year of college and believes that citizens’ assemblies play a vital role in creating spaces for citizens to engage directly in policy-making processes across North America.

    Mary works to develop our Learning Agenda to evaluate the impact and strength of Citizens’ Assemblies. She will finalize a methodology including standard survey and interview questions to be asked at Citizens’ Assemblies across North America. She is currently working with the Yukon Citizens’ Assembly to collect data on citizen experiences.

    Contact:

    mahurner@gmail.com

    LinkedIn

Executive Board

  • Valerie Lemmie

    Valerie Lemmie

    Senior Advisor for State and Local Government

    Charles F. Kettering Foundation

  • Yves Dejaeghere

    Yves Dejaeghere

    Executive Director

    FIDE - Europe

  • Amy Lee

    Amy Lee

    Associate Director

    IDEA, Ohio State University

  • Peter MacLeod

    Peter MacLeod

    Founder

    MASS LBP

  • Hélène Landemore

    Hélène Landemore

    Full Professor in the Political Science department

    Yale University

  • Harry Gottlieb

    Harry Gottlieb

    Founder

    Unify America

Founding partners

Our financial accounts are publicly available at this link.

Federation for Innovation in Democracy - North America


Let’s explore how we can work together — reach out!

north.america@fidemocracy.org

3717 Fulton St, NW

Washington DC 20007