Jonas Rolett

Jonas Rolett is the regional director for Southern Central and Eastern Europe at the Open Society Foundations. He serves as a liaison between foundation networks in Eastern Europe and the Western Newly Independent States and the international advocacy community in Washington, D.C.

Rolett has a notable history of working on Southern Central and Eastern European issues. He has worked extensively with parliaments, political parties, and civic groups on a variety of initiatives designed to open the political process, promote good governance, and defend human rights. He lived in Albania during the 1990s and has stayed closely involved in political and social developments there.

Prior to joining the Foundations, Rolett was a senior program officer at the National Democratic Institute, where he promoted democratic development in Eastern Europe. Rolett managed programs related to governance, civic participation and political party building, and established domestic election monitoring organizations in five countries. Before joining NDI, Rolett worked as the political training director for the magazine Campaigns & Elections, running a "campaign school" for candidates and campaign managers. He also served as the communications director for the United Way of Greenville County, South Carolina.

Rolett is a member of the International Committee of the Council on Foundations. He holds a BA in literature and psychology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.