Jim Wasserstrom is the Chief of Party for DI’s Protection, Inclusion, and Empowerment Activity in Armenia. Mr. Wasserstrom previously served with DI as the Chief of Party of the Advancing Efforts for Reform and Civic Accountability (AERCA) program, an anti-corruption project in Afghanistan, and brings extensive experience in international development to his new role. He served for 28 years in the UN system, including with the UNDP in Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, and the Republic of Korea; with the UN Capital Development Fund in New York; and finally, in Peacekeeping, in the UN Administration Mission of Kosovo prior to its independence.

In Kosovo, Jim uncovered a massive corruption scheme involving his UN bosses and became a whistleblower, which led to extreme UN retaliation, including his termination followed by a fierce battle in the UN justice system. The case set precedents and received significant attention in the U.S. Congress and globally in the media, including in a recent BBC documentary. Subsequently, Jim joined the U.S. government: USAID and the State Department for five years in the U.S. embassy in Kabul as Senior Anti-corruption Advisor, and two years in Washington with the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). At SIGAR, he led the team which drafted the official report on the U.S. role in corruption in Afghanistan, published and presented to Congress. He then returned to Afghanistan, with DI as above. In recent years, Jim has worked in Bosnia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Tunisia, and Ukraine on a variety of governance-related issues.