Ambassador Derek Mitchell

In September 2018, Ambassador Derek Mitchell became the third president of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a non-governmental organization based in Washington, DC, dedicated to supporting democratic development worldwide. The appointment was a homecoming as Amb. Mitchell first joined NDI as Senior Program Officer for Asia and the Former Soviet Union from 1993 to1997.

From 2012 to 2016, Ambassador Mitchell served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma), America’s first ambassador to the country in 22 years. From 2011 to 2012, he was the U.S. Department of State’s first Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma, with the rank of ambassador. From 2009 to 2011, Amb. Mitchell served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (APSA), in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. From 2001 to 2009, Amb. Mitchell was Senior Fellow and Director of the Asia Division of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).