Make Sense of the world

Tyson Barker joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in 2008 and is the Director for Trans-Atlantic Relations. His portfolio includes the European-American economic relationship, US-EU cooperation, and tracking rising political leaders in the US and Europe. Tyson also manages the Congressional European Parliament Initiative (CEPI), a joint program between the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Washington and Brussels offices that aims to foster legislative cooperation between the US Congress and the European Parliament. He has contributed to numerous publications on both sides of the Atlantic including Politico, Foreign Policy, E!Sharp, realclearworld.com and Internationale Politik. His recent writings have focused on the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), US-EU summits and the role of Congress in European affairs. His work has been cited numerous publications such as in the Financial Times and National Journal. In addition, Tyson has appeared various broadcast outlets including Deutsche Welle TV and ITV. He has been named one of the top 99 global foreign policy leaders under 33 by Diplomatic Courier Magazine. Prior to his work at the Bertelsmann Foundation, Tyson worked in the international-relations and emerging-markets division of Medtronic, a leading medical-technology firm, looking at chronic healthcare needs in low- and middle- income countries. Tyson was a Fulbright scholar in Austria. He is a recipient of the Taiwan Cultural Exchange Fellowship and a Starr Foundation grant to conduct research on Sino-European relations. Tyson has a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In addition to his native English, he speaks fluent German and Spanish.