Mary Lou Schramm joined IFES in 1996 as the deputy director for Europe and Asia in which she was responsible for the operation of IFES’ democracy and governance programs in those regions, with emphasis on the former Soviet Union. She headed the Asia division at IFES at its inception as a separate program division in 1999. As director, Schramm supervised the regional field offices in Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Schramm is credited with broadening the scope of IFES’ work in Asia to include both traditional electoral assistance, and providing support for initiatives in the areas of democratic transition, improved governance, civil society, and rule of law. She has overseen the overall management of IFES’ targeted technical activities throughout Asia, where IFES has actively assisted or assessed democratic processes in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Thailand. She now manages IFES’ programs in East Timor.

Before joining IFES, Schramm was the Associate Peace Corps Director in Russia. She helped set up and manage the first Peace Corps program in the Russian Far East. Schramm was responsible for developing working relationships with Russian organizations and supporting the efforts of Peace Corps Volunteers who were working in small enterprise development. Prior to that, she worked with Coopers & Lybrand on an economic development program in the West Indies and as a special education teacher with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

Schramm holds a master’s in business administration from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in education from Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass.