Vice President, Programs

Mark Koenig is the Foundation’s vice president for Programs. In this role, Mark provides overarching leadership and vision for programmatic activities across The Asia Foundation’s operations in Asia and the Pacific. Collaborating closely with the Foundation’s country representatives and program directors, Mark is responsible for ensuring the successful implementation, impact, refinement, and expansion of the Foundation’s extensive program portfolio.

Mark began his career at the Foundation in 2008. He initially focused on program design related to urban governance, community policing, anti-corruption, and improving public policy processes in countries including Afghanistan, Mongolia, Nepal, and Timor-Leste. 

In 2013, Mark became the Foundation’s assistant director for Program Strategy, Innovation, and Learning, where he played a pivotal role in the country strategic planning process, supporting the strategic partnership with the Australian government, and advising country offices on integrating innovative programming approaches.

From 2016, Mark took a leading role in shaping urban governance programming at the Foundation, and in 2017 was promoted to deputy director and Urban Governance specialist for the Foundation’s Program Specialists Group. In this role, he designed research and urban governance programs for countries including Cambodia, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Nepal.

In 2018, he was appointed as the Foundation’s country representative in Mongolia, overseeing programs focused on governance, women’s empowerment, environment, improving access to information and education, and contributing to multiple Northeast Asia-focused regional cooperation initiatives.

Education: Koenig holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree with a concentration in Law and Development from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.