Debra Eisenman is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Asia Society and Founding Director and Senior Fellow of the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). As EVP and COO, Debra oversees the operations and strategy of the Society’s substantive pillars and the global network of centers.

Prior to this role, she was Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, where she led and oversaw initiatives on development, governance, sustainability, and security challenges throughout Asia, with a particular focus on Myanmar, Central Asia, and Iran. She also ran ASPI’s strategy and operations, and has been with ASPI and its predecessor, the Global Policy Programs department at Asia Society, in numerous, progressively responsible roles since 2011. Debra created the business, operating, and strategic plans for the development of ASPI — and managed and oversaw the Institute’s growth from 3 staff in New York to more than 30 staff across the globe, and to a respected and well-ranked global think tank.

Before joining Asia Society, Debra worked on the Peacebuilding and Western Balkans grantmaking programs of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. She was also previously at the National Crime Prevention Council in Washington, DC, building and managing projects to advance youth civic engagement and individual and community safety.

Debra has been an election observer in Kosovo, Albania, Ukraine, and Armenia. She holds a master’s degree in politics from New York University, and is a cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland with high honors in government and politics. She is also a fellow of the Truman National Security Project and a member of Women in International Security. She is a contributor to radio, television, and print media. In June 2018, she authored the ASPI report, Reconciling Expectations with Reality in a Transitioning Myanmar.