Board of Directors
Democracy Defenders Action (DDA) is led and staffed by a strongly bipartisan board and experts who have spent their careers fighting autocracy—and winning—in the United States and globally.
Norm Eisen
Co-founder & Board Member
Ambassador (ret.) Norman Eisen is the founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Action, which has been helping lead the successful national court fights against the Trump Administration, helping secure multiple landmark orders against its authoritarian moves. His work in the courts of law is matched by his efforts in the court of public opinion as the co-founder and publisher of The Contrarian. He is also the co-founder and former chair of other major non-profits including CREW and States United.
Susan Corke
Executive Director & Board Member
Susan is the Executive Director of DDA and DDF. For two decades, in senior pro-democracy leadership roles at the Southern Poverty Law Center, German Marshall Fund of the U.S., Freedom House, Human Rights First and the U.S. Department of State. She has testified and spoken at major international and political forums, including testifying on Capitol Hill several times on human rights and democracy issues, at the United Nations, European Union and other official conferences. She has been a regular commentator in American and European broadcast, print, radio and digital media, a lecturer at leading universities, a co-author of The Democracy Playbook and a Webby-nominated podcaster, writer and an editor for numerous research and policy reports that drove democratic progress. She serves on boards for William & Mary and other nonprofits.
Bill Kristol
Board Member
Bill Kristol is the founding director of Defending Democracy Together, an advocacy organization dedicated to defending America's democratic norms and institutions. He is also editor-at-large of The Bulwark and hosts the podcast, "Conversations with Bill Kristol," featuring guests from academia and public life. During the Reagan Administration, he served as chief of staff to Education Secretary William Bennett and as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle during the Bush Administration.
Brian Frosh
Board Member
Brian Frosh served as Maryland's 46th Attorney General from 2015 to 2023. During his two terms as Attorney General, Brian Frosh worked to ensure fairness, equality and justice for all Marylanders. Prior to that, he served in the Maryland General Assembly for 28 years, including 12 as chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, where he led the effort to pass gun safety legislation that has been called some of the toughest and most effective in the nation.
Esosa Osa
Board Member
Esosa Osa is the Founder and CEO of Onyx Impact, an organization created to combat disinformation targeting Black communities and increase Black civic engagement. Esosa previously served as Deputy Executive Director of Fair Fight Action, a voting rights organization founded by Stacey Abrams. This follows her work as Senior Advisor to Abrams’ 2022 gubernatorial campaign and as the Campaign Manager and Chief of Staff for a top 2018 U.S. Congressional election.
