Dr. David W. Yang served as Vice President for Applied Conflict Transformation at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) from April 2019 to March 2024, leading the institute’s global portfolio of programs focused on preventing, mitigating, and resolving violent conflict. In this role, he oversaw field-based initiatives, research partnerships, and strategic learning efforts designed to advance innovative approaches to peacebuilding and institutional resilience in fragile and conflict-affected environments.
Prior to joining USIP, Dr. Yang held roles across U.S. foreign policy and development institutions.
He led the Center for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance at USAID, served as Deputy Assistant Administrator overseeing DRG and peacebuilding, and worked as a senior advisor at UNDP on governance and peacebuilding issues. Earlier, he also held positions at the U.S. State Department as Senior Coordinator for Democracy Promotion, directed civil society programs through PartnersGlobal, and served as a research fellow at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for the Prevention of Genocide.
Prior to joining USIP, Dr. Yang held leadership positions in international development and human rights, contributing to major initiatives on democratic governance and peacebuilding. He earned his Ph.D. and
M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.