Trygve Olson spent over a decade working on behalf of the International Republican Institute* (IRI), with a focus on repressive and closed societies. IRI, established in 1983, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to advancing democracy and freedom. It is often funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), as was the case for Belarus.From 2001 to 2007 Olson was based in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he worked as director of IRI's Belarus program. Over two decades of working with IRI, he trained 1000’s of democratic activists in over forty countries on five continents. Olson developed all aspects of IRI's Belarus program that provided assistance to pro-democratic groups in the country. He managed the program from startup with a budget of just over $500K in funding and no staff, to over ten staff and a $2 million annual budget by 2007. Through Olson, IRI provided on the ground assistance, training, and tactical support for programs in a number of other countries including those throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
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Online Streaming Event
Tuesday, December 7 - 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
