Human Rights Program Staff

Karin D. Ryan, Director
Karin Ryan joined the Carter Center's human rights initiatives in 1988 and is currently director of the Human Rights Program. As director, Ms. Ryan works with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter on a range of issues, including assisting their efforts on behalf of victims of human rights violations through personal interventions with heads of state.

She has represented the Center in many international negotiations, including the International Criminal Court, the human rights of women, the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, and most recently on the establishment of a U.N. Human Rights Council, and has worked closely with the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to organize expert consultations designed to strengthen the role of the OHCHR within the United Nations system.

Ms. Ryan earned bachelor's degrees in political science from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and in contemporary writing and production from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. She has participated in the Center's election observation missions to Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria. She has also coordinated the Human Rights Defenders Policy Forum since 2003, which aims to support those on the front lines of the struggle for human rights and democracy all over the world.

Sam Jones, Associate Director
Sam Jones supports the management of the Carter Center's programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which are focused on reforming the justice sector, partnering with Congolese organizations to promote and protect human rights, working with women's organizations to combat sexual violence, and advocating for transparent and accountable practices by mining companies.  Mr. Jones also actively contributes to the Human Rights Program's work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which includes partnerships with a range of Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights activists and peacebuilding organizations. He joined The Carter Center in May 2008.