The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) is pleased to announce that Ryan Fioresi will be the Executive Director of ICT’s US office. He assumed the position on July 8, 2025.
Ryan Fioresi has nearly a decade of experience leading on China and Tibet human rights policy within the U.S. executive and legislative branches. Most recently, Ryan served as the Senior Advisor on Tibetan Issues in the State Department’s Office of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights and the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. Ryan also completed a legislative fellowship as a professional staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), leading Indo-Pacific human rights policy, including issues related to Tibet, for former SFRC Chairman Senator Ben Cardin.
“I am thrilled to join ICT in this pivotal moment for the global Tibetan community. As the six million Tibetans in Tibet face an increasingly dire human rights situation and the Chinese government’s continued assault against their environment and way of life, the work of ICT is more critical than ever to preserving the unique identity and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans everywhere,” said Fioresi. “I am honored to serve as the Executive Director and work with ICT’s incredible team, contributing to their decades-long impact on promoting democratic freedoms and self-determination for the Tibetan people.”
“Ryan brings a unique set of experiences and expertise to our team. I had the privilege of working closely with him over the past four years in his role as Senior Advisor to the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues and saw his skill, deep commitment and knowledge of the issue,” said Tencho Gyatso, President of ICT. “I am very pleased to welcome him to our team.”
“I am pleased that ICT has filled the important role of Executive Director in our Washington DC office at a critically important time for Tibet. As Tibet grapples with China’s increasing assault on the very foundation of Tibetan culture and civilization, ICT’s work must be strengthened both strategically and with increased activities,” said ICT Board Chairman Richard Gere. “I’m happy to welcome Ryan Fioresi, whose unique experience and skills will be an enormous asset.”
At the State Department, Ryan oversaw the formulation and execution of Tibet-related policy and the Special Coordinator’s mandate within the U.S. government. He coordinated and collaborated with colleagues working on Tibet-related issues in the State Department’s regional and thematic bureaus, relevant directorates at the White House’s National Security Council, and with a variety of interagency counterparts.
During his time at the State Department, Ryan also worked as a senior Foreign Affairs Officer overseeing the China and Tibet portfolios in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, managing the coordination of high-level bilateral dialogues with the Chinese government including the U.S.-China Human Rights Dialogue. Ryan also has expertise working within the UN multilateral system, having managed a broad portfolio of UN multilateral sanctions regimes in the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
Additionally, Ryan has extensive leadership and managerial experience in the non-profit sector. He served as the Senior Director for Global Programs and Partnerships at the American College of Cardiology Foundation, where he led a team to improve primary and secondary cardiovascular care for hundreds of thousands of patients across a portfolio of developing countries. Ryan also oversaw business development and fundraising for the College’s multimillion-dollar global budget, developing relationships with leaders from Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and medical device companies, philanthropic foundations, and other donors.
Ryan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in global studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. After graduating from UCSB, Ryan lived and worked in China for six years, first as a volunteer English teacher in a rural area of Hunan Province, then in business development for a U.S. educational software firm in Shanghai, and finally as a graduate student in international relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies’ China campus, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Ryan is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. He and his wife have two children and reside in Bethesda, Maryland.
Established in 1988, the International Campaign for Tibet helps advocate for the Tibetan people in their nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights as they seek to preserve Tibet’s language, environment, religion, and ancient culture of wisdom. ICT has offices in Wahington DC, Amsterdam, Berlin and Brussels.