Advisors to the International Constitution Center play a crucial role in shaping the development of the center. By providing assistance, expertise, and support to leadership, they bring valuable insight and guidance to current and future initiatives.   Here are some key roles advisors fulfill:

• Expert Consultants:  Advisors offer their specialized knowledge in constitutional law, political science, human rights, and other related fields. They can provide guidance on specific constitutional provisions, ensuring they align with international standards and best practices.
• Facilitators: Advisors can facilitate workshops, conferences, and public consultations to gather diverse perspectives and ensure that the constitution center is inclusive and participatory.
• Technical Assistance:  Advisors can assist in drafting constitutional texts, reviewing and editing documents, and providing technical support to constitutional bodies.
• Capacity Building: They may help to build the capacity of local constitutional experts and regional institutions, enabling them to fulfil the role of the center in the long term.
• Advocates for Good Governance: Advisors can advocate for constitutional principles that promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. They may also work to raise awareness about the importance of constitutionalism and its role in fostering stable and just societies.

The International Constitution Center, with the support of their advisors, can make significant contributions to strengthening democratic institutions and promoting human rights around the world.

Robert Pallone

International Advancement and Fundraising Executive

Mr. Pallone is an active consultant in support of organizations seeking to enhance their advancement goals and activities. A strategic member of teams, he facilitates organizational growth and enhances mission-centered achievement.

Prior Member of Graduate Faculty at Franklin University Switzerland where he taught international academic travel courses to London and Amsterdam focusing on risk theory and applications, in the University’s Master of Science in International Management (MSIM) degree program. 

Prior Vice President for Advancement, Franklin University, Lugano, Switzerland where he directed global programs and initiatives that engaged alumni, parents, and other constituents of the University and sought their financial support to ensure Franklin's continuing leadership as an innovator in international higher education. Revitalized an underperforming line function to meet all top standards and greatly expanded and improved financial development programs. 

As an occasional Professional Consultant, he provides expert services in the areas of organizational management, fundraising strategies, operational services, leadership, and campaign planning for nonprofit organizations, including:   Alzheimer's Association (USA), Clarkson University, (NY, USA),  Colby College (ME, USA), Duke University (NC, USA), Franklin Institute Science Museum (Philadelphia, USA), Knox College (IL, USA), Metropolitan Career Center (Philadelphia, USA), Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (Philadelphia, USA), Pennsylvania Ballet (Philadelphia, USA), Philadelphia Museum of Art (USA), UNICEF (USA)
 

While at Bates College, Mr. Pallone was Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations where he developed more than $35M in financial support for this top ranked liberal arts college from institutional sources, including corporations, foundations, and government agencies. Also oversaw information infrastructure and research services of the advancement division. Served as senior member of Vice President's team, which successfully designed and completed a $120M fundraising campaign. Created and directed College's first community-based fundraising program for endowed scholarships. Developed gifts between $5,000 and $1M+ from individuals. 

 Jon Becker

Lawyer, General Counsel, Start-up Advisor

Jon Becker is a US qualified lawyer with over 30 years of experience as an in-house lawyer with US multinationals in the Biotech and IT industries. Jon was the European General Counsel for InterMune in its international HQ in Basel and the European Legal Counsel for Amgen in its international HQ in Zug. Before these roles, he worked for a global IT services company, EDS, a subsidiary of General Motors. 

Jon's experience in legal support includes compliance, regulatory, employment, contracting, litigation management and legal department set-up and operations.

Jon later established Clearly Legal, a Swiss strategic legal advisory business and continues to provide legal support services to a variety of international companies, including startups. He also founded DataLimits, a Swiss non-profit association, focused on enforcing global data privacy rights. 

He is a member of the Rotary Club Lugano-Lago (Past President 2021-22), a member of the Board of Directors of Wikimedia Switzerland, a former member of the Franklin University Presidential Council, a former member of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce (Legal Committee in Zurich) and a former Swiss country representative of the Association of Corporate Counsel (Europe). 

Jon has lived and worked in London, Geneva, Paris, Rome and Luzern and now is based in Lugano, married with 2 children, and has American, Italian and Swiss citizenships. Jon graduated with a BA from Brandeis University, a MA from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a JD from the George Washington University Law School. 

Wim Voermans

Constitutional Scholar Advisor

 Wim Voermans is Professor of Constitutional and Administrative law at Leiden University.

Professor Voermans' current research and teaching focuses on the theory and practice of constitutional law (worldwide), on comparative constitutional law and European law. Voerman's research takes a special interest in the working and (social, economic and political) effects of constitutional law - based on his thesis of constitutional law working as literature. He studies constitutional legitimacy issues, overall observance and performance of constitutional systems. 

by Wim Voermans (Author) 

From the Preamble: "Today, 189 out of 193 officially recognized nation-states have a written constitution, and 75% of these have been ratified since 1975. How did this worldwide diffusion of constitutions come about? In this book, Wim Voermans traces the varied and surprising story of constitutions since the agricultural revolution of c.10,000 bce. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, Voermans shows how human evolution, human nature and the history of thought have all played their part in shaping modern constitutions. Constitutions, in turn, have shaped our societies, creating imagined communities of trust and recognition that allow us to successfully co-operate with one another. Engagingly and wittily told, the story of constitutions is vital to understanding our world, our civilizations and, most significantly, ourselves."

Read more here: https://a.co/d/acR6L2v

Richard Albert

Constitutional Scholar Advisor

Professor in Law | Professor of Government |Director of Constitutional Studies | The University of Texas at Austin | Published 30+ Books on Democracy and Constitutionalism | Alum of Yale, Oxford, Harvard | Author of newsletter on constitutions

Richard Albert is Professor of World Constitutions and Director of Constitutional Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, founding director of the International Forum on the Future of Constitutionalism, and Co-President of the International Society of Public Law.
 

Currently a member of the Constitutional Reform Committee advising the Government of Jamaica on writing and enacting a new constitution for the country, he has published over 30 books on constitutional democracy, including “Constitutional Amendments: Making, Breaking, and Changing Constitutions” (Oxford University Press).
 

He has held visiting faculty appointments around the world, including at Universitas Airlangga (Indonesia), Universidad de Especialidades Espiritu Santo (Ecuador), Universidad Externado (Colombia), FGV (Brazil), Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai (India), University of Ottawa (Canada), Reichman University (Israel), University of Toronto (Canada), and Yale University.
 

Formerly a law clerk to the Chief Justice of Canada, Richard Albert holds law and political science degrees from Yale, Oxford, and Harvard.

Hassan Hussein

Constitutional Scholar Advisor

Researcher in Constitutional Law

Hassan Hussein holds a PhD in the political philosophy of the constitution from Soran University. As part of his doctoral studies, he also pursued law and politics at Sciences Po Grenoble in France.

He is a dedicated scholar and activist in the fields of constitutional governance, human rights, liberal democracy, and the rule of law. His research focuses on comparative constitutionalism, the philosophy of law, democracy, and human rights. He has taught constitutional law, administrative law, political systems, and international law in the Kurdistan Region.

He is currently working on constitutional development and its challenges in the Middle East, particularly in post-conflict societies.

Read Academic Portfolio Here: https://www.hassanhussein.info

Marieta SAFTA

Constitutional Scholar Advisor

Marieta Safta is a Professor of Constitutional Law and publishes on topics of constitutional law.

Marieta Safta is Professor Habilitated of Constitutional Law and Vice-President of the Senate of Titu Maiorescu University in Bucharest, where she teaches Constitutional Law, Political Institutions, European Constitutional Law, and Constitutional Justice in the EU. She is also a faculty member of the Doctoral School of Law at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, an associate professor at the University of Bucharest (Faculty of Law), and a Associate Researcher at the Legal Research Institute „Acad. Andrei Rădulescu” of the Romanian Academy.

Her international academic engagements include positions as Visiting Professor at the University of Szczecin (Poland), Adjunct Visiting Professor at Manipal University Jaipur (India), and Research Fellow in Constitutional Studies at the University of Texas School of Law (USA). In 2025, she became a Corresponding Member of the Romanian Academy of Legal Sciences (ARSJ).

Between 2003 and 2023, she served at the Constitutional Court of Romania, including as Chief Assistant Magistrate and First Assistant Magistrate, and acted as liaison officer to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (2012–2017). She also held the position of State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice (2017–2018). Since 2024, she has served as Arbitrator at the Court of International Commercial Arbitration attached to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania.

Professor Safta has published extensively on constitutional law, constitutional justice, EU law, legislative drafting, and criminal law. She is a member of several international and national scholarly and professional associations, including the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL), the European Law Institute (ELI), the International Association of Penal Law (AIDP), the Romanian Association of Constitutional Law, and the World Jurist Association (WJA).

Read more here: https://titumaiorescu.academia.edu/MarietaSafta

Zach Elins

Constitutional Scholar Advisor

Professor Elkins’ research focuses on issues of democracy, institutional reform, research methods, and national identity, with an emphasis on cases in Latin America. He is currently completing a book manuscript, Steal this Constitution: The Drift and Mastery of Constitutional Design, which examines the design and diffusion of democratic institutions.  

Much of his research is on the origins and consequences of national constitutions.  With Tom Ginsburg (University of Chicago), Professor Elkins co-directs both the Comparative Constitutions Project, a NSF-funded initiative to understand the causes and consequences of constitutional choices, and the website Constitute, which provides resources and analysis for constitutional drafters in new democracies. 

Elkins earned his B.A. from Yale University, an M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Read more here:  https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/plan2/faculty/elkinszs