Paige Alexander

Paige Alexander serves as chief executive officer of The Carter Center, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter to advance peace and health worldwide. The Carter Center has worked in more than 80 countries, focusing on conflict resolution, democracy promotion, human rights, economic opportunity, disease prevention, and mental health care.

Alexander brings extensive experience in global development, diplomacy, and civil society to her role. Her career spans both government and nonprofit sectors. At the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Alexander served as deputy for the Europe region, concentrating on post-conflict reconstruction in the Balkans. She later held Senate-confirmed positions as assistant administrator for Europe and Eurasia, and for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau, overseeing programs and personnel across a broad geographic area.

In the nonprofit sector, Alexander was senior vice president and European founder/president of IREX, an international organization focused on civil society, democracy, and education. She also served as executive director of the European Cooperative for Rural Development (EUCORD), where she worked to implement market-led solutions for marginalized farmers in Africa. Earlier in her career, Alexander was associate director of Project Liberty at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and consulted for organizations including the C.S. Mott Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Open Society Institute in Prague.

As CEO of The Carter Center, Alexander has guided the organization through significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and periods of social change. She has strengthened the Center's core peace and health initiatives and expanded its focus to address global mental health, political polarization in the United States, and the effects of climate change on public health and global stability. Under her leadership, The Carter Center has continued its election monitoring work, observing more than 125 elections in 40 countries, and has launched a domestic democracy program to address election integrity and conflict resolution in the U.S.

Alexander has contributed thought leadership on peace, health, and human rights through essays and op-eds in Newsweek, Chicago Tribune, Financial Times, and CNN, and has appeared on BBC, National Public Radio, and NBC. She has delivered a TEDWomen talk on human rights and access to information and presented at the Chautauqua Institution on the global rise of authoritarianism. Her recognitions include Forbes' "50 Over 50," Atlanta Business Chronicle's "Most Admired CEO," and Georgia Trend Magazine's "100 Most Influential Leaders." Alexander is a graduate of Tulane University. Her career reflects a commitment to the interconnectedness of peace, health, and human rights in international humanitarian leadership.