Joshua Brandon joined Spirit of America in January 2019 as part of the Middle East and Central Asia team. Since 2020, he has served as the regional director for Spirit of America’s Indo-Pacific program, managing a diverse portfolio of venture-style assistance projects across the region, including Taiwan, the Philippines, Mongolia, India, Laos, Vietnam, Palau, and Myanmar. Since 2021, He has led the organization’s “Whole of Society” campaign in Taiwan, working closely with civil society and government partners to pilot and scale programs in training and mobilizing civilian volunteers, improving government crisis response, and building digital resiliency and regional connectivity. Prior to Spirit of America, he served as a US Army infantry officer, during which time he was awarded the Silver Star and two Bronze Stars with valor devices. Joshua was an organizer at the Sierra Club, where he worked on veteran mental health and conservation issues. He has also served as an independent consultant in a diverse range of fields, including conservation and wildlife trafficking, veteran mental health research at the University of Washington, tactical mission command training, and adventure history as a sponsored athlete ambassador for Outdoor Research. Joshua attended The Citadel where he earned a bachelor’s in history. He earned a master’s degree in international affairs and an MBA from the University of Washington.
