Colin Thomas-Jensen was a fellow in New America's International Security program, where he researched conflict prevention and resolution, human rights, security sector reform, and counterterrorism.
Thomas-Jensen has more than 15 years experience influencing and shaping foreign policy through roles in the public and non-profit sectors. From 2013 to 2017, Thomas-Jensen served as senior policy advisor to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, and as deputy director of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations’ (USUN) Washington, D.C. office. In this role, he led the Mission’s policy work on Africa, managed USUN’s Washington team, and regularly attended senior national security meetings to shape U.S. policies on a range of global security, counterterrorism, humanitarian, and governance challenges. Previously, Thomas-Jensen worked at the U.S. Department of State as the special advisor to the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan. He has held senior research and policy positions with the Center for American Progress, where he helped found The Enough Project, and at the International Crisis Group. He has authored numerous research papers, book chapters, essays, and commentaries on global affairs and is a Truman National Security Fellow. Thomas-Jensen has also held positions at USAID, including as a humanitarian responder during the genocide in Darfur, Sudan in 2004 and following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Thomas-Jensen served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia and Mozambique. He has an MA from the University of London's School for Oriental and African Studies, and a BA from Pomona College. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two daughters.