Derek Luyten
Derek Luyten currently serves as the Executive Director of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP). Founded in 2005, HDP is a bipartisan commission of the House of Representatives that works to promote responsive, effective government and strengthen democratic institutions by assisting legislatures in emerging democracies. Before joining HDP, Luyten worked to assist development organizations build strategic partnerships with global technology firms to ensure that democracy is embraced as a core design principle.
Prior, Luyten served as the Regional Director for Asia at the International Republican Institute (IRI), where he was responsible for overseeing more than $11M annually in U.S. and foreign government grants and guiding program development and implementation in 15 countries throughout Asia. He also spearheaded an organization-wide effort to collaborate with tech companies interested in preserving electoral integrity and defending against online disinformation, resulting in IRI’s first partnership with a global tech company. Previously, Luyten was the Director for IRI’s Thailand and Malaysia programs based in Bangkok, overseeing programs on public opinion research and political and civic engagement. Luyten also worked in a variety of posts throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including Country Director in Morocco implementing local governance programs and nearly three years on the Iraq program as the Director for Political Parties and Research. While working in MENA he established new programs in Tunisia and Libya after the start of the Arab Spring, touching down in Tunis, Tunisia just days after the fall of the Ben Ali regime. Over the years Luyten served as a foreign election observer 12 times and as a political appointee in the Treasury Department in the office of the US Treasurer. Luyten is fluent in French, proficient in Spanish and earned a master’s degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and two children. Email Derek here.