Shari Bryan is a Managing Director of Aegean Strategies LLC. Aegean Strategies is a strategic advisory firm working at the intersection of international development, private philanthropy, foreign policy and global corporate engagement. With over 30 years of managing complex political relationships in 65 emerging markets, Aegean Strategies helps clients with strategic planning, risk management and operational readiness. From emerging markets such as Nigeria, to active conflict zones and fragile states, Aegean Strategies can provide insight and engagement with politicians, community leaders, international diplomats and the private sector on issues of democracy, governance, public policy, and ESG.
Ms. Bryan was the National Democratic Institute’s vice president until 2021. She joined NDI in 1998 and served as senior associate and regional director of the Institute’s democratic programs in Southern and East Africa from 2001 through early 2008. Ms. Bryan has been actively involved in law, international development, and foreign affairs since 1998 and has traveled extensively throughout the world. She has conducted assessments or missions to more than 30 countries during her tenure at NDI and played a key role in promoting democratic assistance programs in Africa; conceptualizing and organizing projects on political party finance, governance, and HIV/AIDS, and increasing the role of legislatures in overseeing the extractive industries. Ms. Bryan is a guest and commentator for many major news outlets, including CNN and the BBC, has testified before the U.S. Congress, and has presented papers before a variety of organizations. Before joining NDI, Ms. Bryan served as an attorney in the former UN Trust Territory of Palau, where she worked on negotiating the Compact for Free Association in 2004. She also worked as an attorney for the United States government and served with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
She has co-authored Money in Politics – A Study of Party Financing Practices in 22 Countries, published in 2005, and Transparency and Accountability in Africa’s Extractive Industries: The Role of the Legislature, published in 2007.