Tomicah Tillemann
| Tomicah S. Tillemann | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Tomicah Sterling Tillemann-Dick New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education |
Yale University (BA) School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University (MA, PhD) |
| Occupation | Senior Adviser for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton |
| Employer | U.S. Department of State |
Tomicah Sterling Tillemann-Dick (born 1978) is the Director of the Bretton Woods II program at New America. The initiative works with large, long-term asset owners to reduce exposure to risk and volatility through targeted investments in social impact and development. He is also a Co-founder of the Blockchain Trust Accelerator and serves on the Advisory Board of BitFury, a leading provider of Blockchain infrastructure. He is a key figure in the deployment of Blockchain technology for governance and social impact applications. Tillemann previously served at the State Department as a speechwriter and senior advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry.
At the State Department, Tillemann led a team of experts that operated like venture capitalists, identifying innovations that strengthened new democracies and civil society, and then assembling the talent, technology, resources, and partners to translate ideas into successful foreign policy. He developed over 20 major initiatives on behalf of the President and two Secretaries of State, including the State Department's Diplomacy Lab and revitalization of the Community of Democracies. Tillemann also chaired the State Department's Global Philanthropy Working Group and dealt extensively with issues related to social finance.[1]
Personal Life and Education
Tillemann grew up the eldest of eleven children in Denver, Colorado. An Eagle Scout, he was accepted to college at age 14 and received his BA magna cum laude from Yale University.[1] He went on to earn a doctorate with distinction from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS).[2] Tillemann is the oldest grandson of Tom Lantos, the former Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the U.S. Congress. Tillemann's paternal grandmother, Nancy Dick, served as the first woman Lieutenant Governor of Colorado.
Career
Before coming to the State Department, Tillemann spent four years on the professional staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as an advisor to then-Committee chairmen Joe Biden and John Kerry. Earlier in his career, he worked as a reporter with Reuters New Media, hosted a commercial radio program in Denver, Colorado, served in the White House Office of Media Affairs, and spent time as a senior staffer on four U.S. Senate and Congressional campaigns.[3] He helped co-found and lead numerous civil society groups, including the Lantos Foundation, and has testified repeatedly before Congress.[4]
State Department
Tillemann moved to the State Department shortly after Hillary Clinton was appointed Secretary of State to serve as speechwriter in her office.[5] He collaborated with Clinton on over 200 speeches and frequently accompanied her on international travel. In October 2010, Clinton promoted Tillemann to Senior Advisor. One of Clinton's emails later released by the State Department showed that Tillemann once went almost 100 hours without going to bed in order to finish a highly regarded speech on Internet freedom.
Technology and Innovation
In addition to his work on Blockchain, Tillemann is a co-holder of four patents related on the IRIS engine, technology that received major awards from NASA, Dow, and ConocoPhillips. He also created the LEND Network, a peer-to-peer network to facilitate cooperation among current and former leaders in new democracies. LEND is now administered by the Community of Democracies.