Learned Dees

Learned Dees is currently a Foreign Service Officer working at the State Department, with more than two decades of experience in African affairs. Dees has traveled throughout the continent, visiting more than 35 countries and has lived in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Prior to joining the State Department, Dees worked as a journalist both in the U.S. and in Africa, where he filed stories for VOA, BBC, National Public Radio and appeared as an Africa analyst for CNN. A specialist in democracy and human rights, Dees worked for more than a decade as a Senior Program Officer for the National Endowment for Democracy where he helped support African civil society organizations focused on political reform, civic education political participation, human rights. Dees developed his interest in Africa while a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Zaire where he helped raise Tilapia learned Kikongo, Lingala and the kwasa kwasa. Dees has a Masters degree from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a BA from Morehouse College.