Former NATO Ambassador Kurt Volker Joins JHU SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations

Washington, D.C. - 09/9/2009 - The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR) announced today the appointment of the former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker as managing director and senior fellow.

"We are delighted to have Kurt Volker join SAIS and the Center for Transatlantic Relations," noted CTR Executive Director Daniel Hamilton. "With 23 years of government service, Ambassador Volker brings to the Center a wealth of experience in U.S.-European political, economic and security relations, as well as media and public diplomacy."

In this role, Volker is responsible for a broad portfolio of CTR activities, including seminars, policy study groups, media commentary and research projects on current issues in transatlantic relations.

At NATO, Volker worked for both the Bush and Obama administrations, coordinating preparations for NATO's 60th Anniversary Summit. "His strong and balanced leadership after the Russia-Georgia war - urging renewed commitment to collective defense while reshaping NATO's relationship with Russia - won plaudits from Central Europe and Western Europe alike," added Hamilton.

Before assuming duties at NATO in 2008, Volker worked for three years as the U.S. Department of State's number two official dealing with European policy. As principal deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, he oversaw U.S.-EU relations, NATO and OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) policy, bilateral relations with Western Europe, cooperation with Europe on global challenges such as disease, climate change and trafficking in persons, as well as bureau personnel and management issues.

Volker served for four years on the National Security Council staff and for two years as deputy chief of staff to then-NATO Secretary General George Robertson. He also served for one year as a legislative fellow on the staff of Senator John McCain. During his U.S. Foreign Service career, he also held a variety of assignments in Brussels, Budapest, London and Washington.

The SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations, named by Foreign Policy magazine in 2009 as one of the "Top 30 Global Go-To Think Tanks," sponsors policy research, seminars and media activities addressing current challenges facing Europe and North America.

SAIS is one of the country's leading graduate schools devoted to the study of international relations. Located along Embassy Row in Washington's Dupont Circle area, the school enrolls more than 600 full-time graduate students and mid-career professionals and has trained more than 15,000 alumni in all aspects of international affairs. SAIS also has campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China.