Marian Currinder

Marian Currinder serves as Director for US Democracy, where she oversees the development and implementation of Freedom House’s work to strengthen and support American democracy, as well as Americans’ understanding of and commitment to a vibrant democratic system.

Prior to joining Freedom House, Marian served as professional staff on the bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. She also served as a consultant to the Carter Center’s Democracy Program, focusing on a bipartisan U.S. elections initiative.  

Marian has held numerous positions focusing on government reform and strengthening US democracy.  She was a Senior Fellow at LegBranch.org, where she focused on congressional reform.  She served as Policy Director at Transparency International-USA, overseeing the organization’s domestic government accountability and anti-corruption programs. As Associate Director for the Center for Political Accountability, she directed the Center’s research projects and worked closely with a broad network of partners on corporate political transparency and accountability issues. She was a Senior Fellow and Curriculum Chair at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University and was an Assistant Professor of American Politics at the College of Charleston. 

She is the author of Money in the House: Campaign Funds and Congressional Parties and co-author of the textbook Congress in Context. She also has published numerous articles and book chapters, mostly focused on Congress and campaign finance.  Marian earned her Bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in political science from the University of Florida.