Mackenzie Hempe

Mackenzie is a democracy and governance professional with seven years of experience working to strengthen the capacities of election management bodies, political party leaders, members of parliament and county assemblies, and civil society organizations across Southern and East Africa. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, she received a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies with a minor in Africana Studies from Wellesley College. Following graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she spent over three years working on the National Democratic Institute’s Southern and East Africa team and contributing to institutional initiatives. During the early days of the pandemic, Mackenzie moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), where she spent two years providing direct technical support to the National Election Board of Ethiopia and implementing peace and conflict resolution programs. Most recently, she managed IFES’ Africa programs in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia from the headquarters office in the Washington metropolitan area. When not thinking about democratic resilience, she can be found learning new languages, enjoying water sports of any kind, and attending as many musicals, plays, and ballets as time allows.