Staff

Henry Hale

Director, IERES

Director, Petrach Program on Ukraine

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs

1957 E Street
Suite 412

202-994-4810
hhale@gwu.edu

Henry E. Hale is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, Director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, and Director of the Petrach Program on Ukraine. 

He has spent extensive time conducting field research in post-Soviet Eurasia and is currently working on identity politics and political system change, with a special focus now on public opinion dynamics in Russia and Ukraine.  His work has won two prizes from the American Political Science Association and he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for his research in Russia in 2007-2008.

Prior to joining GW, he taught at Indiana University (2000-2005), the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia (1999), and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (1997-98). He is also chair of the editorial board of Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization.

Matthew Kewley

Assistant Director, IERES

1957 E Street
Suite 412
mkewley@gwu.edu

Matthew Kewley serves as Assistant Director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES) and is responsible for oversight and management of all IERES resources and operations. This includes human resources and staff supervision, finance and grant management, events and outreach, the visiting scholar program, coordinating the Master of Arts program in European and Eurasian Studies, and advising the institute’s faculty director on a range of strategic issues.

Matthew holds an MA in Slavic Language and Literature from Indiana University (2017), an MBA from Excelsior College (2011), and a BA in Russian Studies from New York University (2008). He has also completed foreign language study in Russian at Moscow State University, the Davis School of Russian at Middlebury College, and the University of Pittsburgh. 

Chris Ellison

Senior Editor

1957 E Street
Suite 412
chris_ellison@gwu.edu

Chris serves as Senior Editor for the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, as Assistant Editor for its Journal of Illiberalism Studies, and assists faculty, staff, and international scholars with their editing needs.

Chris received his BA, cum laude, in Political Science and Literature from the University of California at San Diego; his MALD from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he was both a Dean Bosworth Scholar and a Fulbright Fellow; and his MA in History from Rice University, where he also studied at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.

Having previously worked in various roles in international development, diplomacy, and higher education, Chris also serves on the board of the anticorruption nonprofit organization Fides Intl. He has lived throughout the Americas and Europe, as well as in East Asia. A lifelong editor at heart and translator known to family members as “Mr. Red Pen,” he speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and French, and has more recently begun learning Korean.

Bridie Bolger

Administrative Assistant

1957 E Street
Suite 412
adminieres@gwu.edu 

Bridie Bolger is an Administrative Assistant for IERES, and is currently working towards her Bachelor’s in International Affairs and concentrations in Europe-Eurasia and Security Policy. Though now taking Russian as her third language, alongside French, she hopes to grow her skills in Czech and Ukrainian during her time at the institute. Outside of The George Washington University, she is a co-founder and advisor of The Washington Eagle, a journalism nonprofit aimed at bridging political divides through community-level journalism. Bridie is now interested particularly in the connections of modern security and diplomatic efforts to the Cold War’s legacy in Europe and Eurasia. 

Levi Crossan

Administrative Assistant

1957 E Street
Suite 412
adminieres@gwu.edu

Levi Crossan is a Administrative Assistant and sophomore at GW pursuing a double major in International Affairs and Economics, with a special interest in European affairs. Levi was born and raised in the beautiful city of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Within IERES he will be working closely with the Illiberalism Studies program. 

Alex Gates

Administrative Assistant

1957 E Street
Suite 412
adminieres@gwu.edu

Alex Gates is an Administrative Assistant for the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian studies. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree from the George Washington University in International Affairs and German Language and Literature with a minor in economics. Previously, he completed two year-long programs in Berlin as a Gilman scholar and a recipient of the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship.  His research interests include Germany, illiberalism in Western and Central Europe as well as immigration policy in Europe.

Leonardo Pell

Administrative Assistant

1957 E Street
Suite 412
adminieres@gwu.edu

Leonardo Pell is an Administrative Assistant at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. He is an undergraduate student at the Elliott School of International Affairs majoring in International Affairs with an interest in conflict resolution, diplomacy, Europe, and Eurasia.

Paul Tervo

Administrative Assistant

1957 E Street
Suite 412
adminieres@gwu.edu

Paul Tervo is an Administrative Assistant at IERES. He is a senior in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a double major in Political Science and Physics with an interest in nuclear policy and nonproliferation. He has previously worked for the Institute for Science and International Security, where he published research on Iran’s uranium resources. At IERES, he works most closely with the PONARS Eurasia program.

Julia Wasik

Administrative Assistant

1957 E Street
Suite 412
adminieres@gwu.edu

Julia Wasik is an Administrative Assistant for the Central Asia Program at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, she is a current second-year undergraduate student at the Elliott School of International Affairs, majoring in International Affairs and minoring in Russian Language & Literature.

European and Eurasian Studies MA Program

Christopher Kojm

Director, European and Eurasian MA Program

1957 E Street
Room 605N
ckojm@gwu.edu

Christopher A. Kojm serves as the Director of the European and Eurasian Studies MA Program and the Elliott School’s Leadership, Ethics and Practice Initiative. He re-joined the School as a Professor of Practice in International Affairs after serving as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council from 2009 to 2014. He is also the Director of the US Foreign Policy Summer Program and served previously as director of the mid-career Master’s in International Policy and Practice program. He taught previously at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs.

In government, Chris served as a staffer on the House Foreign Affairs Committee from 1984-98 under Rep. Lee H. Hamilton, as a deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1998-2003), and as deputy director of the 9/11 Commission (2003-04). He was also president of the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, the Commission’s follow-on public education organization (2004-05). He also served as a Senior Advisor to the Iraq Study Group (2006).

He received a master’s degree in Public Affairs from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs.

Program on New Approaches to Research and

Security in Eurasia (PONARS Eurasia)

David Szakonyi

Co-Director, PONARS Eurasia

Associate Professor of Political Science

202-994-9231
dszakonyi@gwu.edu
www.davidszakonyi.com

David Szakonyi is Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University, co-founder of the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, and Associate Director of PONARS Eurasia. His research focuses on corruption, clientelism, and political economy in Russia, Western Europe, and the United States. His book — Politics for Profit: Business, Elections, and Policymaking in Russia (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics, 2020) — examines why business people run for elected political office worldwide, how their firms perform as a result, and whether individuals with private sector experience make different policy decisions. Other research looks at the effectiveness of anti-corruption campaigns, employers mobilizing their employees to vote, and nepotism under authoritarian rule. His investigative work has been published in the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, the Daily Beast, and the Miami Herald, among other outlets. In addition, he is a Research Fellow at the International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

Kelly Stephenson

Program Associate, PONARS Eurasia

1957 E Street
Suite 412
k.stephenson@gwu.edu

Kelly Stephenson is the Program Associate for PONARS Eurasia at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. She earned a B.A in Russian Studies from the University of Delaware in 2021 and participated in the World Scholars Program. Kelly spent a semester at SPbSPU in Saint Petersburg, Russia where she gathered data for her subsequent undergraduate research on disinformation campaigns. She also spent a semester at SLU in Madrid, Spain where she taught ESL. After graduating, she worked as a program coordinator for a non-profit in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. She currently has an interest in digital authoritarianism in Russia.

Russia Program

Ivan Grek

Director, Russia Program

Research Professor of International Affairs

1957 E Street
Suite 412
grek@email.gwu.edu

Ivan Grek, PhD, is Director of the Russia Program at George Washington University’s Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies. Trained in political science and history, Ivan specializes in studies of illiberal grassroot movements and ideology in Russia. Ivan’s research was published in peer-reviewed political science journals, as well as US and Russian media outlets such as the Washington Post and Kommersant.

Kristina Aleksanyan

Program Coordinator, Russia Program

1957 E Street
Suite 412
russiaprogram@gwu.edu

Kristina Aleksanyan is the Program Coordinator for the Russia Program at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian studies. In 2023 she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Oklahoma. Currently, Kristina is furthering her academic journey by pursuing an M.A. in European and Eurasian Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs. Previously, Kristina completed an internship at the European Union Department at the Municipality of Arezzo in Italy, where she spent an academic year studying abroad. In addition, Kristina held various internships and affiliations with lobbying organizations and the private sector. Kristina is fluent in Russian and Armenian, and is interested in studying the rise of nations and nationalism in Europe and Eurasia. 

Petrach Program on Ukraine

Nini Pataridze

Program Coordinator, Petrach Program on Ukraine

1957 E Street
Suite 412
petrachukraine@gwu.edu

Nini Pataridze is the Program Coordinator for the Petrach Program on Ukraine. She is a second-year Master’s candidate in the International Affairs program at the Elliott School, concentrating in Conflict and Conflict Resolution. Originally from Tbilisi, Georgia, she moved to the United States for her undergraduate studies at Grinnell College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in history and political science in 2022. Nini is passionate about research focusing on mitigating active conflicts worldwide and providing long-term policy solutions for regional security in the post-Soviet space.

Central Asia Program

Sebastien Peyrouse

Director, Central Asia Program

Research Professor of International Affairs

1957 E Street
Suite 412
speyrouse@gwu.edu

Sebastien Peyrouse was a doctoral and postdoctoral Fellow at the French Institute for Central Asia Studies in Tashkent (1998-2000 and 2002-2005), a Research Fellow at the Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University in Sapporo (2006), and a Research Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington (2006-2007). In 2008-2012, he was a Senior Research Fellow with the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program (SAIS, Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C.) and with the Institute for Security and Development Policy (Stockholm). He is an Associated Scholar with the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS, Paris), and with the Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior (FRIDE, Madrid) and a member of the Brussels-based EUCAM (Europe-Central Asia Monitoring).

Marhabo Rakhimova

Program Associate, Central Asia Program and Bolashak Fellowship Program

1957 E Street
Suite 412
mrakhimova@gwu.edu 

Marhabo Rakhimova has a background in non-government organizations as an experienced international program coordinator. With a focus on Central Asian programs, she has coordinated projects aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of civil society organizations in various fields (health, youth, and women empowerment) by integrating transparency, social inclusion, participatory approaches, and accountability in those sectors. She earned her Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Maxwell School of Public Administration and International Affairs at Syracuse University.

Illiberalism Studies Program

John Chrobak

Research Supervisor, Illiberalism Studies Program

1957 E Street
Suite 412
johnchrobak@gwu.edu

John Chrobak is a Research Supervisor for the Illiberalism Studies Program. He has an MA in International Affairs from GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs with a specialization in U.S. Foreign Policy and Eurasian Politics. His work has focused particularly on regional politics and security in Eurasia as well as transnational connections among illiberal movements. He has previously worked at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Research Lab (DFRLab). He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from McGill University.

Aaron Irion

Institute Associate, Illiberalism Studies Program

1957 E Street
Suite 412
airion23@gwu.edu

Aaron Irion is an Institute Associate at the Illiberalism Studies Program. He has an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Montana. His work has focused on the political economy of populist, illiberal, and far-right movements, particularly their relationship with social insurance and the welfare state. He has recently turned his attention to unpacking the political theory of illiberalism, and its relationship with other forms of radical politics. His research interests include the realignment and dealignment of party systems, post-neoliberalism, the changing nature of working-class politics, populist economics, and much more.

Grant A. Silverman

Research Associate, Illiberalism Studies Program

1957 E Street
Suite 412
gsilverman@gwu.edu

Grant A. Silverman is a research associate for the Illiberalism Studies Program. He earned a master’s degree from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs where he studied conflict and conflict resolution, disinformation, and right-wing extremism. His research has paid special attention to the rise of illiberal and extremist movements in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. In particular, Grant investigates the transatlantic nature of a growing reactionary politic that increasingly exists between various far-right movements internationally. Prior to joining the Elliott School, he worked for the Holocaust Museum Houston, and earned his bachelor’s at the University of South Carolina in International Studies and German. 

Erik Piccoli

Research Assistant, Illiberalism Studies Program
Program Coordinator, Transatlantic Program

1957 E Street
Suite 412
erikpiccoli@gwu.edu

Erik Piccoli is a Research Assistant for the Illiberalism Studies Program where he writes about populism, the far-right, and illiberalism in Europe. Erik has previously worked for the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. He graduated from Louisiana State University with a BA in Journalism and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in European & Eurasian Studies at the Elliott School.

Transatlantic Program &

Jean Monnet Center of Excellence 

Erwan Lagadec

Director and Associate Research Professor of International Affairs

1957 E Street
Suite 412
lagadec@gwu.edu

Dr. Erwan Lagadec is Associate Research Professor at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES), where he leads Elliott School programs on EU and NATO affairs. He is the Director of IERES’ European Union “Jean-Monnet” Center of Excellence; and he leads a Memorandum of Understanding between the Elliott School and NATO’s Allied Command Transformation. He is also a nonresident senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative and its Europe Program.  He was previously affiliated with Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy; France’s Saint-Cyr Military Academy (he is a former officer in the French Navy Reserve); Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; the University of Virginia-Charlottesville; Tulane University; Harvard University; MIT; the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies; and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. A French-U.S. dual citizen, he holds a D.Phil. in History from the University of Oxford.