Tom Perriello – Prospect for Peace and Stability in the Congo

On this episode of Congo Live, US Special Envoy Tom Perriello joined us to discuss his work as an envoy for the past 18 months and some anecdotal stories on his experience in central Africa. We will also discuss U.S. policy in the region, respect for constitutions, and opening of political space in the Great Lakes region in Africa and beyond. With the new US administration, his term is coming to an end. Bio Tom Perriello is the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, appointed by Secretary of State John Kerry on July 6, 2015. Prior to this role, he served as Special Representative for the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review for the U.S. Department of State. Mr. Perriello previously served as a Congressman from Virginia, Special Advisor to the Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, a conflict analyst, and CEO of Center for American Progress Action. He has worked and conducted research in a dozen countries and taught courses on transitional justice at the University of Virginia School of Law and University of Sierra Leone. Mr. Perriello was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s Fifth District in 2008. He served on the Veterans Affairs Committee and received distinguished marks from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association. He was a founding member of Leader Hoyer’s National Security Working Group, and received the Truman National Security Project’s annual award for wise leadership on foreign policy. He also advocated strongly for a national energy and climate strategy. Outside of government, Mr. Perriello has co-founded and managed justice entrepreneurship platforms and faith-based organizations advancing human rights, poverty reduction and sustainability. He supported the peace processes in Sierra Leone and Darfur and has conducted periodic research in Afghanistan on justice and security. Since early 2011, he has conducted field research and analysis on reformist movements and leaders in Egypt and the Middle East independently and as Counselor for Policy to the Center for American Progress. He is from Charlottesville, VA, and is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School.