Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. and Dorothy Ridings, Co-Chairs of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), today announced that Kenneth Wollack, former President of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), has been elected as a third Co-Chair of the Commission. The CPD is the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has sponsored and produced all general election presidential and vice presidential debates since 1988.
“As president of NDI, Ken has been the CPD’s partner on international debates for almost 30 years,” Fahrenkopf and Ridings said. “He has been a valued member of the CPD board and will provide strong leadership going forward.”
Before joining NDI in 1986, Mr. Wollack co-edited the Middle East Policy Survey, a Washington-based newsletter. He also wrote regularly on foreign affairs for the Los Angeles Times. From 1973 to 1980, he served as legislative director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Mr. Wollack currently serves on the board of the National Endowment for Democracy, and as a member of the advisory committee for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the George W. Bush Institute’s Advisory Council on Human Freedom. He is also a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
In addition to sponsoring and producing the general election debates, the CPD engages in voter education initiatives, provides technical assistance to sponsors of nonpresidential debates, and with NDI has established an International Debates Network (debatesinternational.org) to help other countries that seek to make debates part of their political process.