ASSOCIATES

ASSAD, George. Adviser to the FDIC/US Treasury in restructuring and oversight of the U.S. banking system in 1989 (“the S&L bailout”). Special adviser (global projects) to Chairman of multinational oil, gas and construction firm. Participated in the drafting of Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. Member of board of directors and advisor in multinational corporate and government matters over the past 15 years. He has also taught graduate coursework. He has a Masters degree from Thunderbird University in Finance and European Studies. 
Areas of expertise cross many industries and include banking, construction, oil and gas, telecom, transport, infrastructure, government, and free-trade-zones. Advised Southeast Asian countries on restructuring of banking/financial systems. Languages: Arabic and some French.
P-- Southeast Asia region; S-- Middle East region.

BROWN, Gordon S.  Foreign Service career mainly in Middle Eastern and North African posts, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, and Mauritania, where he was ambassador (1991-94). Focussed on economic policy and energy issues in Saudi Arabia (1976-78), Egypt (66-69) and France (73-76). State Department Country Director for Arab Gulf affairs 1984-86. 

Following his retirement in 1996, he was President of the U.S – Qatar Business Council for three years. His most recent consulting was to help a Washington merchant bank prepare a multi-faceted risk analysis report on Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with a possible major petrochemical acquisition.
P-- none; S--  Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia 

BUTCHER, W. Scott. A former Foreign Service officer with over 30 years experience dealing with Asia, heading political sections in Malaysia and Indonesia, serving as deputy ambassador in Malaysia and in charge of offices in the State Department responsible for a number of South and Southeast Asian countries. Now an international consultant providing specialized advisory services for multinational companies.  Has assisted U.S. firms in their business development and problem-solving efforts in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and India. Corporate clients include companies in student health insurance and industrial gases, shipbuilding and computer services, petrochemicals and defense products. 
 In addition to Global, his affiliations include the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (Senior Advisor); the American chambers of commerce in Malaysia and the Philippines; the United States-Indonesia Society; the Board of Directors of the Malaysia - America Society (President, 2002-2004); and the Asia Society. He speaks Malay and Indonesian, with previous tested proficiency in Burmese and French. 
P-- ASEAN region, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia; S-- none

CALINGAERT, Michael.  He has combined a career of diplomat, trade association executive, consultant, and author and lecturer on Europe and US-European relations.  Since 1997 he has headed the US branch of the Council for the United States and Italy, based at the Brookings Institution. He had assignments in Germany, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Washington, and headed large economic sections at our embassies in Tokyo, Rome and London. 

Joining the private sector, he set up and ran the Brussels office of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association as it Director of European Operations, monitoring the industry, developing strategies and lobbying EC institutions. He was later a senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States, serving as rapporteur for the Council’s US-EC telecommunications project. He played the same role at the National Policy Association, and also was a research Fellow at the Institute of European Studies of the Free University of Brussels. Languages: French, German and Italian.

P – Italy, United Kingdom, European Union      S – Japan, Germany

CECCHINI, Leo. His diplomatic career included chief of economic section in both Helsinki and Johannesburg. Also commercial attache in Madrid and Ankara. Held other economic posts in Washington, Vietnam and Panama, and was deputy principal officer   in Monterrey, Mexico. Specialized in both trade policy and investment policy and negotiations, and is well versed in bilateral tax issues and agreements.

Also had an extensive business career, including managing director, Hill and Knowlton (public relations firm), Ankara, Turkey. Owned a consultancy firm working throughout Southern Africa. General manager of the South African Trade Center in Orlando.  Stockbroker with Dean Witter in New York and currency trader there. Also was managing director of London-based Min Clothing, as well as a wine importer in Washington DC.  Languages: Spanish, Turkish, and Italian. 
P-- Ireland, England, Austria, Spain, Italy, Turkey, France and Germany; S--Portugal, Switzerland and Austria.

COSTANZO, Christopher D.  A retired CIA Senior Operations Officer, served fifteen years in Europe, Africa, the Near East, and Latin America,  as head of large reporting installations. As representative of the Director of Central Intelligence, dealt with foreign governments at highest levels. Served in Washington for almost ten years, initially as a country desk officer and then as head of Latin American, African, and Near Eastern areas, providing supervision, policy guidance and support to overseas installations. While based in Washington, traveled widely overseas formulating and implementing intelligence training programs for individuals and organizations, both American and foreign.
Expert in clandestine as well as overt intelligence collection, reporting, analysis, intelligence operations management, information management, and security. In addition, considerable experience in intelligence training, and in counter terrorism and counter narcotics intelligence operations. Carried out numerous intelligence and security assessments and training programs in Central America, Southeast Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia for international corporate clients. Languages: Spanish and Italian fluently with native accents.
P--  Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Middle East regions; S-- Italy.
EASUM, Donald. Spent 27 years in the U.S. Foreign Service with postings in Nicaragua, Indonesia, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Upper Volta (Ambassador 1971-74) and Nigeria (Ambassador,1975-79).  Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. President of the Africa-America Institute 1980-88 and maintains African contacts as consultant with AID, WorldSpace, River Blindness Foundation, and Volunteers in Technical Assistance. 
In April 2003, member of the National Democratic Institute's monitoring team for the Nigerian elections. Board member of the American School of Tangier/Marrakech. Lectures widely on US/African relations, taught at Princeton University and is currently Senior Fellow for the Henry Stimson Seminar at Yale University. 

P-- Nigeria, Morocco, Africa region; S-- Indonesia, Nicaragua.

ELY, Michael.  Had a distinguished 35-year Foreign Service career, including as Deputy Ambassador to the European Communities in Brussels; Minister for Economic Affairs at the Tokyo and Paris embassies; Senior Advisor, Foreign Trade Administration, Department of Commerce; Diplomat-in-Residence, St. Thomas University, Houston; and Minister for Economic Affairs at Paris, and earlier assignments in Rome  Somalia, and  Malaysia. Among his State Department postings -- member of the Policy Planning Staff.

Executive Vice President of the Jean Monnet Council, a nonprofit organization encouraging US-EU understanding. He has also consulted with the State Department. Languages: French, Italian, and Spanish.

P-- European Union and France; S-- none. 

GRANER, Ralph. Deputy ambassador in Chad and Mali, a total of five years.  Consul General at Bremen, Germany. Was economic/commercial chief at U.S. embassy Ghana and commercial attaché in Algeria. After early retirement. served for nearly six years export promotion director for the State of Wisconsin and then for the Commonwealth of Virginia. His career emphasis has been on helping U.S. companies to export. Conceived and presented export seminars throughout the U.S. for AT&T medium-sized business customers  As state export promotion director, organized and assisted in governor-led trade missions to a score of countries on four continents. Foreign languages: French and German.

P-- none; S-- Chad, Germany, Mali, and Ghana. 

HENNESSEY, Brian. Vice President of Global Business Access Ltd. As well as of FWG Associates and the Vineeta Rastogi Foundation. Worked on the presidential, senatorial and gubernatorial election campaigns and on personal staff of two congressmen. UN election observer. Lobbyist and conference coordinator for American Foreign Service Association. Has travelled extensively in (and written about) more than 100 countries. 
As private consultant, handles technology transfer, security and logistics for VIP visits overseas, security software, election monitoring, project proposals, managing contracting process, donor strategies, due diligence of potential foreign partners, evaluation of tourism investments in developing markets. Foreign Languages -- Spanish, Italian, and French.
P-- India, Peru, Latin America region;  S-- none.

JANKA, Les.  Served in the White House under three Presidents: as a senior staff member of National Security Council and Special Assistant to Kissinger, and as Deputy Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Served in the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern and African Affairs. 
As a consultant, assisted major European corporations marketing advanced military technology to the Pentagon. Was Executive Vice President of Neill and Company, a foreign policy lobbying and public affairs consulting firm, leading its international political and trade advisory practice in the Middle East and Africa. Washington lobbyist for Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Morocco, Guinea and Kenya. Before starting own company in 1995, directed the international practice of Venture Associates, the energy utility and telecommunications unit of Arthur Andersen.

P-- Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia; S-- Middle East region. 
 
JONES, M. Gordon. Served as economic counselor in US embassies in Brazil, India, Ecuador and Peru, as well as handling economic/commercial work in five other posts abroad and two tours at the Department of State. Dealt extensively with trade, energy and other infrastructure, finance and macropolicy, mainly in developing countries. 

As a private consultant, has worked mainly on projects in India and Brazil. Key assignments include two oil/gas/power privatization projects in Brazil for major international energy companies, including extensive analytical work and negotiations with federal and state governments. Organized Global's project supporting a major U.S. biotech company in worldwide promotional campaign for genetically modified seed. Developed projects for power plants (IPPs) and related fuel-supply arrangements in India, traveling there to set up financing and joint venture deals with local partners.  Created commodity-price surveillance project in India, staffing it in several locations and supervising its ongoing operations. Foreign Languages -- Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and German. 

P-- India, Brazil; S-- Italy, Germany, Peru, Ecuador, South Asia region.

KINNEY, Douglas. Served as political counselor and deputy chief of mission, and as an office director in the Department of State.  Tours in Mexico and Venezuela; Burkina and Chad; Italy and Belgium.  Two deployments with U.S. forces in the field: as political advisor to Operation Provide Comfort/Northern Watch in 1994, and as a political officer seconded to the wartime forward headquarters of Central Command for the eight months of Operation Desert Storm.  Stateside assignments to Kissinger Secretariat (including 18 countries abroad) and Amb. Jeane Kirkpatrick’s UN Mission in New York.  

As a consultant, specializes in crisis planning and crisis. Designs and runs emergency exercises worldwide as Crisis Management Team Leader – most recently in Sanaa, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Casablanca, Rabat, Tunis, Moscow, Damascus, New Delhi, and Vienna.  Teaches Crisis Management at The National Foreign Affairs Training Center and helps with field training for Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) stationed off major littorals around the world should Americans need help or evacuation.  Extensive crisis management and “continuity of government” experience at the Federal level and advanced credentials in emergency management.

P-- Italy, Belgium, Western Europe region; S-- Africa region, Middle East region 

LAINGEN, L. Bruce. Served in the US Foreign Service from 1949 to 1987,  including
assignments in Germany, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. US Ambassador to Malta 1977-79. In mid-1979, returned to Iran for second tour as chargé d'affaires of US Embassy before being held hostage in the Iran hostage crisis November 1979-January 1981. Following release, Vice President of National Defense University 1981-87. Executive Director of National Commission on the Public Service (Volcker Commission) from 1987 until Commission completed its work in 1990.

Currently President of American Academy of Diplomacy. Board member of A Presidential Classroom for Young Americans; the Mercersburg Academy (PA); No Greater Love; and National Defense University Foundation. In 1998, held Sol Linowitz Chair in International Relations at Hamilton College in New York, teaching seminar on Iranian Revolution.
P-- Iran; S-- none.

NUDELL, Mayer. Certified Security and Safety Consultant and authority on terrorism, crisis management, travel security, and related international political and national security affairs.  Among Foreign Service assignments, Latin American and Middle Eastern specialist to State Department Office of Counterterrorism and Emergency Planning Assisted Calgary Police Service and Olympics Integrated Intelligence Unit prior to 1988 Winter Olympics, as well as security projects for corporations and international organizations. 
Other projects include coordination of security for the official opening of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Presidents Summit on the Future of America,  as well as security training and consultation to agencies of the Japanese government.  Co-authored two books, “Handbook for Effective Emergency and Crisis Management” and “No One a Neutral: Political Hostage-Taking in the Modern World,” widely regarded as among the best on their subjects. Authored texts and designed course on terrorism offered at U.S. General Services Administration's Interagency Training Center. 
P-- Algeria, Colombia, Indonesia, Libya, Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago; S--  Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.

PECK, Edward L. Ambassador in Iraq and in Mauritania; Economic/Commercial Counselor in Egypt; economic/commercial officer in Tunisia, Algeria, and Sweden. At the State Department: global economic affairs, trade development, economic development assistance, petroleum and energy. Detailed to White House as Director, Cabinet Task Force on Terrorism. Also worked in intelligence community and DOD.

As a private consultant, conducted market surveys, and prepared reports on Egypt for American communications, aviation, and waste management firms. Did survey/forecast of petroleum and stability in Syria for a major energy company; designed and conducted cross-cultural training programs in U.S., Italy, Malaysia and Thailand.  Languages -- Arabic, French, Spanish, Swedish.

P-- Egypt, Syria, Mauretania, Iraq, Sweden; S-- Middle East region, Malaysia, Thailand. 

RUDDY, Frank. A lawyer, served as U.S. ambassador to Equatorial Guinea and as Assistant Administrator for Africa of USAID. Directed USAID missions in Sub-Sahara Africa. General Counsel of U.S. Department of Energy. 

As a private consultant, carried out African and Japanese projects. Represents one African government preparing for litigation in the United States; has represented a telephone manufacturer entering Mauritanian market, a Spanish ham producer seeking FDA approval, and an American telephone company seeking French permission to locate a diffusion center in Paris.  Languages: Spanish and French.

P-- Spain, France, Algeria, Guinea (Conakry) and East Timor, Africa; S-- Japan  

SCHMITZ, Charles.  An attorney, had Foreign Service postings in Morocco, Japan, Panama, and Germany -- achieved rank of Minister-Counselor.  Negotiated Okinawa Reversion Agreement with Japan, directed negotiations to terminate U.S. Trusteeship over Micronesia, and headed U.S. team to implement Panama Canal Treaties.  Responsible for crisis management and emergency evacuation planning in several embassies and missions. Advised U.S. Air Force re installation of strategic nuclear missiles in five European countries, and in Air Force tactical activities and intelligence in East and West Europe, Middle East, and Northern Africa.  As State Department Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, produced study on international disaster relief.  Director for East Asia in Department of State and Senior Advisor for East Asia to U.S. Mission to United Nations.  

Program Director for The Conference Board of New York for Corporate Security and Crisis Management conferences. Co-founder of Global Business Access, Ltd.  in 1991 and  Director of Global Security Operations for the firm since 1996.  Supervises the firm’s experts in Global Security Information/Training and has personally participated in security assessments and audits for clients in less developed areas of the world.  Consultant for the U.S. Department of State for modernization of diplomatic communications. Directs Yale’s Stimson Seminar on International Relations in the graduate school Center for International and Area Studies.

P-- Japan; S-- Germany, Panama.  

SEBASTIAN, Peter. Served as political officer in U.S. Embassies in Morocco, Central African Republic, France, and Ethiopia (including the OAU). Consul General and then Deputy Ambassador in Morocco, Ambassador to Tunisia and to the Arab League. State Department Desk Officer, then Director for relations with Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Dealt with Austria, Switzerland, Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania.  Worked on European, African and MidEast politico-military problems and with Secretary Kissinger as Deputy Executive Secretary. Represented State on a working group considering U.S. border controls, chaired by then-Vice President Bush. 

As a private consultant, advised United Technologies' Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky Aircraft divisions re marketing and sales opportunities in Africa, including South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea and Namibia. Assisted energy-sector client with contract negotiations in Morocco. Provided political estimates on Algerian developments to Atlantic Richfield (ARCO). Assisted AMOCO in its efforts to locate an expert missing in Somalia. Participated on official boards convened to analyze bombing attacks on US officials and facilities in Lima, Peru; Karachi, Pakistan; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

P-- Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria; S-- Ghana, Botswana, South Africa. 

SHEINBAUM, Gilbert H. Foreign Service assignments included: Charge d'Affaires in Madagascar and in Malawi; Political Counselor in Geneva; Consul in Cebu, Philippines; Director/CEO of the Colombo Plan (a 26-nation intergovernmental organization for South and Southeast Asian socio-economic development); and economic, political or  USAID officer in Vientiane, Paris, Vietnam, Copenhagen and Washington. Policy experience included civil aviation, other transportation, energy, EU, OECD and NATO issues.

As a private consultant, helped to establish the Defense Department's National Security Education Program. Asian expert for the International Foundation for Election Systems including: team leader for evaluation of Philippine election system. Sri Lanka analyst for Center for Naval Analyses. Adviser on socio-economic cooperation in Southeastern Europe at State. Languages: French and Danish, some Vietnamese.

P-- Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam; S-- South Asia region.

SIMON, Dr. Hugh. As Foreign Service Officer for three decades, posted at embassies in Athens, The Hague and Bonn, as well as Suriname, Nicaragua, Quito, Buenos Aires and Georgetown (Guyana).  Washington assignments included Cuban Affairs, Berlin desk, Human Rights Affairs and Central American and Panamanian Affairs.  In the late 1990s, Political Advisor to Commander of US Southern Command in Miami.

Florida Undersecretary of State for International Affairs for three years 2001-03, developing Florida’s international relationships with particular emphasis on free trade.  Currently president of Simon International, LLC, a consulting company that  provides US and foreign corporations with strategic intelligence and development planning, consults on international issues, brokers trade finance and  assists with government relations.  His clients include the largest independent global-risk consulting company and the official worldwide organization of Olympic athletes. Languages: Spanish, German, Dutch and some French.
P-- Suriname, Ecuador, Central America region, Argentina, and Germany; S—Netherlands, Western Europe, Central Europe and European Union

ST. JOHN, John J. As Department of State Country Director for Mexico, was senior Washington official on Mexican affairs. During Foreign Service career, also held responsible economic and commercial positions in Washington, Geneva, London, Managua and Monterrey. 
Examples of his consultancy work: assisted in negotiations between U.S. and Mexican firms, including Arkel International, Rite Aid and Farmacias Benavides. Obtained strategic intelligence for U.S. firms, including ARCO International and the Chlorine Chemistry Council. Provided politico-economic analyses to various firms, including Westinghouse, Celadon Trucking and the Holland-America Line. Assisted state and local governments of both sides, including the Port of Brownsville, Texas; Cameron County Texas; the City of Laredo Texas; the San Diego Association of Governments, and the Mexican State of Nuevo León, in their cross-border dealings. Fluent in Spanish; some French, German and Italian.
P-- Mexico; S-- none

SWIERS, Peter Bird. A Foreign Service officer for over twenty-five years with political-mil postings abroad in Europe – Denmark, France, Germany, Greece and the Soviet Union – and Malaysia. Assignments in Washington included State Department's Policy Planning Staff, Political-Military Bureau and NATO office. 

Vice President and Director of the Harriman Chair for East-West Studies at the Atlantic Council of the United States. Directed a 1990 study of The United States and United Germany. Responsible for a United States-Russian Dialogue with the US/Canada Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Currently, an occasional lecturer/commentator on Euro-Atlantic and related issues for the College of William & Mary's Christopher Wren Association and other foreign policy groups in the Williamsburg, Virginia area. Languages: Danish, French, German and Russia.

P-- Russia, Denmark, Germany, Ukraine; S-- Westerm Europe region.

VAN HATTUM , Gerhard  J. Served for 36 years in the Netherlands Foreign Service Served as Dutch Ambassador to Chile, Cuba and Norway and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC . Dealt with commercial work , directly and in supervising capacity in 11 foreign postings covering countries in many European and Latin American countries. 
Having taken up residence in France, worked with Global on a project for crisis management in that country. Also advises French companies in contacts with the Netherlands. Foreign languages : Dutch, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian and Norwegian.

P-- France, Western Europe; S-- Russia, Netherlands, Chil, Norway.

VALK, Dr. Thomas. Served as a consultant in psychiatry and as assistant medical director for clinical psychiatry in Office of Medical Services at Department of State. Regional Medical Officer/Psychiatrist at the  Embassy in Cairo. In addition, medical intelligence officer for the CIA. Past President of  the Academy of Organizational and Occupational Psychiatry. Published a number of articles and papers on expatriate psychosocial issues. 

CEO of VEI, Incorporated., a management consulting firm specializing in helping corporations and organizations support frequent business travelers and expatriate employees overseas.  Advises several business firms on health issues. Expertise includes general organizational/occupational psychiatry, selection criteria/systems, and psychological support/education systems for employees and families in pre-departure, overseas and re-entry phases of expatriate assignment process. 

P-- Egypt; S-- none.

WHITNEY, Peter D. Economic Counselor in Argentina and Chile, Deputy Chief of Mission in Jamaica and Argentina. Other assignments in Brazil, Japan, Africa, Eastern Europe and most of Latin America and the Caribbean. Director of Office of Economic Policy for Latin America and the Caribbean at State. Dealt extensively with trade, finance, macroeconomic policy, helping U.S. companies overcome barriers in different countries. Negotiated tax, trade, investment, environment and textile agreements with various governments. 

Presently teaches Analysis of Emerging Market Economies at American University in Washington, DC (spring), International Business Management in the Cross Continent Program of Fuqua School of Business at Duke University (fall) and short courses on the WTO and Trade Dispute Resolution at the Foreign Service Institute and Global Trade at the Intermodal Transportation Institute in Denver. Examples of consultancy work under contract to Control Risks Group and other consulting companies: confidential investigations of a kidnapping and of bona fides of joint venture partners and specific ministers; assessed an antidumping case, as well as other due diligence and economic analyses on impact of Brazil’s currency crisis for a telecom group; demand and price points for certain products in Germany; and on effects of China’s overvalued currency. Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, limited social Japanese and French.
P-- Argentina, Brazil, China, Latin America region; S-- Germany, Eastern Europe region.

WYGANT, Michael G.  Career  Foreign Service Officer for 31 years, serving largely in a political capacity. Assignments included three posts in Africa, political officer in Moscow, and work in South Vietnam as a civil affairs advisor. Also responsible for US/Australian politico-military affairs at US Embassy Canberra. Appointed by President Reagan to be first American envoy to Federated States of Micronesia. 
Following his State Department career, assignments with Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Field work involved conflict management and democracy building in Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Croatia, and Armenia. Further, headed OSCE election observation missions to Estonia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Moldova, and Georgia. Assisted in establishing US Embassies in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Lectured extensively in northern New England regarding foreign policy issues, including to university and high school audiences, as well as to civic organizations. Languages: French and Russian.

P-- Georgia, Armenia, and Ukraine; S-- none 

YOULE, John. In twenty-five year career in the US Foreign Service, served primarily in Latin America, including Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires in Peru and in Ecuador. Political Advisor to the Commanding General of the Southern Command in Panama. Additional postings in Montevideo, Medellin, and Santo Domingo.

In the private sector, founder and Executive President of ConsultAndes, S.A., Peru’s premier public relations and business advisory firm, affiliated with Ketchum, Inc. and  Omnicom Group. Six years as VP of Institutional Relations for Southern Peru Copper Corporation, then Peru’s largest private firm. Three-term President of the American Chamber of Commerce of Peru, and Vice President and Member of  Governing Board of Association of Latin American Chambers of Commerce. Director and Member of both Executive and Mining Sector Committees of National Society of Mining. Also Petroleum and Energy Director of Peru Society of Foreign Commerce.

P-- Peru, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia,and Columbia; S-- Latin America region.