Jeffrey Smith has more than a decade of experience in human rights advocacy, pro-democracy and research work on Africa, including the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights, Freedom House, National Endowment for Democracy, Institute for Democratic Alternatives in South Africa, and UNESCO. Smith is the co-founder and executive director of Vanguard Africa, a nonprofit organization that supports ethical, pro-reform leaders in Africa. He has planned and conducted human rights and civil society assessment missions to several African countries and has published extensively on US-Africa policy and human rights issues for major international publications. He frequently appears in media outlets as an expert commentator on CNN, NPR, MSNBC and the BBC.