Eddy Acevedo serves as vice president for policy and government relations at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), where he leads the organization’s engagement with U.S. policymakers, oversees congressional and executive branch relations, and helps shape NED’s strategic positioning. He brings more than two decades of experience at the intersection of national security, foreign policy, and democratic governance.

Prior to joining NED, Acevedo was chief of staff and senior advisor to the president and CEO of the Wilson Center, Ambassador Mark Green. He previously held multiple senior roles at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), including national security advisor, acting assistant administrator for legislative and public affairs, and senior deputy assistant administrator and chief legislative strategist.

From 2011 to 2017, Acevedo served as senior professional staff member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he oversaw the Western Hemisphere portfolio and later became senior foreign policy advisor and subcommittee staff director for the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa under Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). In these roles, he advanced bipartisan legislation and led oversight efforts related to democracy, human rights, and foreign assistance.

Earlier in his career, Acevedo served as federal affairs coordinator for Miami-Dade County’s Washington, D.C. office and as a legislative aide in the personal office of Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, focusing on both domestic and international policy issues.

Acevedo holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and dual bachelor of science degrees in psychology and political Science from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.

Acevedo was an event speaker at the Dialogue.