Marjan H. Ehsassi is the Executive Director of FIDE NA (the Federation for Innovation in Democracy - North America). She is also a Future of Democracy Fellow (non-resident) at the Berggruen Institute and a Senior Innovations Fellow at the Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability (IDEA at OSU). A former litigator, she is a skilled advocate, a strategic policy advisor and a movement builder. Marjan received her Doctorate in International Affairs (DIA) from SAIS at Johns Hopkins University with a concentration on democratic innovations, citizen engagement and deliberation. A comparativist of citizens’ assemblies, she has been deeply involved in the research, design, and implementation of several CAs in France, Belgium, Canada and the US. She served as one of four guarantors of the French Citizens’ Convention on the End of Life (2022-23) and on the Oversight Committee of the G1000 We Need to Talk Citizens’ Panel (2023). Marjan’s book Activated Citizenship - The Transformative Power of Citizens’ Assemblies will be published in August 2024.