Dr. Tomicah Tillemann

Dr. Tomicah Tillemann leads Project Liberty’s $500 million effort to develop alternatives to big tech that provide people with more agency over their data, a voice in how digital platforms operate, and greater access to the economic value they create online. Prior to joining Project Liberty, he led policy for Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Haun Ventures. He also served as Senior Advisor to two Secretaries of State, directing a team of experts that built 20 major initiatives in 55 countries.

Tomicah joined the State Department in 2009 as speechwriter to the Secretary of State. Previously, he spent four years on the professional staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Tomicah also served as executive director of the Digital Impact and Governance Initiative at New America, where he built and oversaw programs on responsible asset allocation, decentralized technologies, and innovative governance. He developed tools to strengthen public and private sector accountability in partnership with governments, universities, and Fortune 100 companies worldwide.

Tomicah is a co-holder of four patents. He has served as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Council for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the UN World Food Program’s Innovation Advisory Council, and the GBBC. He currently serves on the boards of the Truman Center for National Policy, Diginex, and the Lantos Foundation. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Yale University and holds a Ph.D. with distinction from the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.