Lunch at National Democratic Institute

On Thursday, April 14 th, PILPP held its third luncheon linking current students with practitioners of international law. Students visited the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs for a discussion with PILPG Advisory Board member Terry Hoverter and NDI staffers Oren Ipp and Linda Patterson. Mr. Hoverter and Mr. Ipp spoke about their experiences with NDI’s Asia team while Ms. Patterson discussed her work with the Election and Political Processes team.

NDI was the first NGO targeted for the luncheon series and students were very interested in the practical aspects of NDI’s role in implementing democracy promotion programs around the world. Mr. Hoverter, Mr. Ipp and Ms. Patterson described the field of democracy promotion in general and presided over a lively discussion that touched on the role of NGOs and career prospects in the field. The students were extremely interested in the discussion and asked many probing questions. The discussion revealed the many ways in which NDI and PILPG perform similar roles in the field of post-conflict development.

Terry Hoverter is a senior program officer with NDI's Asia team, focusing on initiatives in Nepal and Bangladesh. Mr. Hoverter initially worked with the Program Coordination team upon joining the Institute in 2000. He is also pursing a law degree at the Washington College of Law at American University. Previously, Mr. Hoverter designed and implemented exchange programs for Russian entrepreneurs while working for the Center for Citizen Initiatives in San Francisco. In addition, he has worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on environmental programs in Central and Eastern Europe; with the U.S. Department of State in London on bilateral environmental issues; and with World Cup USA 1994 as a public affairs assistant. Mr. Hoverter earned his M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University and his B.A. in International Relations from Fordham University.

Oren Ipp is a senior program officer on NDI's Asia team, focusing on South Asia and managing the Afghanistan and Pakistan programs. Before joining the Institute in 2002, Oren worked as a resident director in Eastern Europe and Latin America for two international education organizations where he oversaw university level, study-abroad programs for North American students. Oren earned his BA from the University of California, San Diego in Political Science and an MA from Stanford University in International Policy Studies.

Linda Patterson is a senior program assistant with NDI's Election and Political Processes Team. Before joining the Institute in 2002, Linda worked for political commentator Chris Matthews and a political consulting firm specializing in media buying for education associations. Previous to her political pursuits, Linda worked for a Los Angeles-based capital investment firm. A lover of GOTV (Get-Out-The-Vote) efforts, she has also volunteered on a number of campaigns including Jean Carnahan's Senate race in Missouri. Linda graduated from George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs, specializing in International Politics and Latin American Studies.