Career Objective
A consultant or senior advisor position to resolve specific problems in transition economies on the basis of 23 years of experience in the State Department/White House and subsequently as a manager in the private sector.
Skills
Negotiating / Problem-solving
· Ability to resolve key issues to bring negotiations to a close
· Attention to budgetary implications and project follow-through
· Identification of the right people to address specific issues
People Skills / Contacts
· Management record of highly motivated staff
· Willing to address difficult personnel issues and to take remedial steps
· Extensive contacts in the U.S. foreign policy community (government and NGO)
· Extensive contacts in Central/Eastern Europe at the highest levels (Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Defense Minister, and Finance Minister)
Project Management
- Proven responsibility for multi-million dollar programs
- Frequent public speaking, including on Capitol Hill
Language
- Fluency in German, some Russian, Swedish, Italian, Spanish
Performance Record
Department of State
Jan 2009 – May 2009 – Deputy U.S. Permament Representative to NATO
- Managed a mission of 170 during the Obama transition and prepared the President’s participation in the NATO summit in Strasbourg/Kehl.
University of South Florida
2006 – present Director, Program in National and Competitive Intelligence /
Adjunct Professor for Business Administration
- Prepared a proposal and received a grant from the Office of the Director of national intelligence to train students in analytical skills o $2 million program over 5 years
- International business professor at the graduate and undergraduate level
Plastipak Packaging, Inc.
2004- 2006 Manager for Business Development in Europe
- Government relations executive, mainly for Slovakia and Czech Republic
- Solved problems for $30m investment in Slovakia
- As sales representative, established new large customers (Unilever, Henkel)
- Established business relations and sources for recyclable materials
National Security Council / White House
2001 - 2003 Director, European Directorate
- Advised the President and National Security Advisor
- Major policy achievements: admission of seven Central European countries to NATO; coordinated government position on $3.8 billion F-16 sale to Poland; created a new framework for U.S. relations with Central/Eastern Europe
Department of State – Since August, 1980
Fall 2001 Director, Task Force on Terrorism
- Supervised a staff of over 300 in the largest task force in State Department History following the September 11 attack
1999 - 2001 Director, NATO Office
- Managed the largest policy office in the State Department
- Supervised annual programs of $200 million
- Helped devise and implement strategy to reduce U.S. force presence from
30,000 to 10,000 in the Balkans
- Improved staff morale in a high-stress office with a history of high turnover
1997-1998 Chief of Mission, American Embassy Tallinn, Estonia
- Supervised 72 as the senior American government official in Estonia
- Established programs to reduce tensions between Estonians and Russians living in Estonia
- Advocated U.S. business interests
1996-1999 Political Counselor, American Embassy Stockholm
- Devised an implemented a strategy for greater Swedish government support for U.S. interests worldwide
- Founded the annual Stockholm security conference, the first of its kind in the region, with attendance by Senators and other prominent opinion makers
1995-1996 Detailed to American Embassy Sarajevo during the Dayton Peace Talks
- Solved pressing political, military, and managerial problems emerging from the peace talks in Ohio
1994-1995 Political Officer, American Embassy Bonn
- Devised and implemented a strategy to gain greater German government support for U.S. policy priorities in Russia, the Balkans and Eastern Europe
1992-1994 Senior Baltics Desk Officer
- Created a plan that was endorsed by the President to get 200,000 Russian forces to withdraw from the three Baltic states
- Conceived the Baltic Enterprise Fund that has grown to a $40 million lending institution
1988-1992 Political Officer, American Embassy Bonn
- Was a member of the delegation that negotiated German unification
- Devised the plan for Berlin air regime (still used today)
- Re-negotiated the stationing agreements for U.S. forces based in Germany
1987-1988 Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs
- Contributed to an aggressive policy approach under Secretary of State Shultz that ultimately led to the downfall of the Soviet Union
1985-1987 Grenada desk officer
- Monitored a $100 million assistance program to support reconstruction.
1982-1984 Political Officer, American Embassy Berlin (East)
- Established enduring contacts with prominent East Germans (many of whom are senior German officials today)
1980-1982 Visa Officer, American Embassy Stockholm
- Supervised a staff of 20 to issue 800 visas a day
Embassy of the Republic of Sri Lanka, Bonn
1977-1979 - Ran the Embassy’s adoption program
- Proposed a negotiation plan that led to a six-fold increase in German development assistance to Sri Lanka in one year
The World in Focus, United Nations, New York
1970-1973 - Was the office manager for William R. Frye, free-lance journalist at the UN
- Wrote articles on UN-related issues
Awards
Secretary of State’s Award for Heroism, 1996
One of the State Department’s most prestigious awards. On the eve of the Dayton Peace Talks, I talked my way through Serbian guard posts and navigated a harsh snow storm to drive about 250 miles in an effort to gain the release of an American journalist who had been captured while trying to document massacres of Bosnian civilians. The journalist was ultimately released as a result of my efforts.
Superior Honor Award, 1991
For contributing to the negotiated settlement of the re-unification of Germany and for negotiating new stationing agreements with the German government that allowed for better training conditions as well as a major German financial contribution to offset the costs of the American military contingent in Berlin.
Country Awards, 2004-2005
Received the highest country awards from the Presidents of Germany, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, and Latvia as well as the King of Sweden for improving ties between the United States and their countries.
Education
1977-1978 Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität, Bonn
Post-graduate courses in macro-economics and international trade
1973-1975 Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, M.A. and M.A.L.D. (Masters of Arts In Law and Diplomacy)
- International law, security studies, and the history of ideas
- GPA of 3.6
- Scholarship recipient in both years of study
1969-1973 New York University, B.A.
- Majors: History, German and English
- GPA of 3.7 (Dean’s List)
- Recipient of annual scholarships from both New York University and the New York State Board of Regents