Board

Executive Committee

Hon. Franklin D. Kramer (Chairman)
Mr. Thomas Reckford (Vice-Chairman)
Dr. Michael Haltzel (Secretary)
Mr. Robert Berry (Treasurer)
Mr. John M. Duff Jr.
Mr. Patrick W. Gross (Co-Founder and Former Chairman)
Mr. Tobia Mercuro

Robert D. Bauerlein

Robert D. Bauerlein is Vice President of International Operations for Washington, D.C. of The Boeing Company. Prior to joining Boeing, Mr. Bauerlein served as Vice President of International Military Programs and Business Development for Pratt & Whitney, Large Military Engines and was the Deputy under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. Mr. Bauerlein's long and distinguished career in public service began in local government, first in the City of Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked in the Mayor's office and then in the City of Alexandria, Virginia, where he worked for the City Manager. He entered federal service in 1976 in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and moved to the State Department seven years later. Mr. Bauerlein has received several Federal Service and Senior Executive Service awards and has been recognized for his outstanding support by many of the United States' friends and allies. He holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in political science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Robert J. Berry (Treasurer)

Robert J. Berry currently serves as the treasurer for the Washington, DC branch of the World Affairs Council of America following over twenty-five years of banking experience in the international field. Mr. Berry is a Chicago native, although with six years of living abroad in Mexico, and has gone on to serve at the top of several significant international organizations including working on the board of directors of the US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, the Asia Society, and holding the position of director at the Meridian International Center. Mr. Berry was also Senior Vice President for International Banking at Bank of America. Mr. Berry has also served as President of the Friends of the Art Museum of the Americas and earned his degree in economics from Harvard University.

The Honorable Julia Chang Bloch

The Honorable Julia Chang Bloch is President of the US-China Education Trust and became the first Asian American to hold the rank of U.S. Ambassador in 1989. Before this, The Honorable Bloch earned her BA in Communications and Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley in 1964, and an MA in Government and East Asia Regional Studies from Harvard University in 1967. In 1971 she served as a staffer for the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs and continued on to serve in several other civil service positions before being appointed as the US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Nepal from 1989 to 1993. Following this, Ambassador Bloch worked for the Bank of America as the Group Executive Vice President from 1993 until 1996 during which time she was credited with the establishment and management of the Corporate Relations Department. However, from 1996 to 1998 she moved on to become the President and CEO of the US-Japan Foundation.

Joseph Caracuel

Joseph Caracuel is the Senior Vice President of the International Government Division of Bank of America. He is responsible for providing global treasury management and international banking services to multilateral organizations, international governments and international corporations. Mr. Caracuel has been working with Bank of America for 17 years and has been active with environmental and community development initiatives within the Bank. Mr. Caracuel is a guest speaker for The George Washington University's M.B.A. program and works with the International Programs from Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Mr. Caracuel received a Bachelors of Business Administration degree with an IB concentration from The George Washington University, a Graduate Certificate in International Finance from Georgetown University and a MBA from The George Washington University's School of Business and Public Management.

Ronald Covais

Ronald Covais is President of the Americas at Lockheed Martin Corporation and is responsible for business development in Latin America, Canada and the Caribbean. Lockheed Martin is a customer focused, global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services for government and commercial customers. With 22 years of Greater Washington experience, Ron was previously Vice President of the Washington International Operations office, the primary interface between Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Government and Washington-based foreign government representatives on all international matters. Ron serves on the Board of Advisors at George Washington University's Center for Latin American Issues, School of Business and Public Management; he is a member of the International Policy Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and serves as the Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Task Force; he is a member of the Presidential Advisory Board of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America and is the chairman of the U.S.-Argentine Business Council.

The Honorable Diana Lady Dougan

The Honorable Diana Lady Dougan has been a Director at Qualcomm Inc. since December 1998. Ambassador Dougan is Chairwoman of the Cyber Century Forum and Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The Honorable Dougan has served in senior policy and management positions for more than three decades, including appointments by both Republican and Democratic presidents in senate-confirmed positions. From 1982 to 1988, as the first statutory U.S. coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, The Honorable Dougan spearheaded international negotiations and policies involving telecom, broadcast, and information technology services on behalf of 14 federal agencies, served as Assistant Secretary of State and currently holds the permanent rank of ambassador. Early in her career, The Honorable Dougan was the first CATV marketing director for Time, Inc. and an award-winning TV producer. In addition to earning undergraduate degrees in industrial psychology and English from the University of Maryland, her studies also include economics at the University of Utah and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.

John M. Duff, Jr.

Before co-founding Duff Ackerman Goodrich, Mr. Duff spent nine years with Bechtel Investments where he served initially as Chief Counsel and then as Managing Principal responsible for private equity investments. Previously, Mr. Duff was Deputy General Counsel and Senior Vice President of the Export Import Bank where in the latter capacity he was responsible for overseeing the Bank's lending activities. He also was formerly a partner in the law firm of Reed Smith headquartered in Pittsburgh. Mr. Duff holds a BA from Princeton University and an LLB from Yale Law School.

The Honorable Chas. W. Freeman, Jr.

The Honorable Chas. W. Freeman, Jr. is currently Chairman of the Board of Projects International, Inc. and Co-Chair of the United States-China Policy Foundation and Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council of the United States. Ambassador Freeman served as President of the Middle East Policy Council since December 1, 1997. Ambassador Freeman was Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from 1993-94, earning the highest public service awards of the Department of Defense for his roles in designing a NATO-centered post-Cold War European security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China. He served as U. S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm). He was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the historic U.S. mediation of Namibian independence from South Africa and Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola. Chas. Freeman served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires in the American embassies at both Bangkok (1984-1986) and Beijing (1981-1984). He was Director for Chinese Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 1979-1981. He was the principal American interpreter during the late President Nixon's path-breaking visit to China in 1972. In addition to his Middle Eastern, African, East Asian and European diplomatic experience, he served in India.

R. Michael Gadbaw

R. Michael Gadbaw has served on NBR's Board of Directors since 2006. He has been Vice President and Senior Counsel for General Electric's International Law & Policy group since December 1990, is Chairman of GE's International Practice Group, and is the internal champion for GE policies on Improper Payments and International Trade Controls. He also supports the Public Policy Committee of the GE Foundation. Mr. Gadbaw is Chairman of the State Department's Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy, Chairman of the US-Malaysia Business Committee of the US ASEAN Business Council, founding Chairman of the India Interest Group; a member of the boards of the European Institute, Partners for Democratic Change and the World Affairs Council; a Trustee of the U.S. Council for International Business; and a member and former Chairman of the U.S.-Egypt Presidents' Council. Prior to this, Mr. Gadbaw was in private practice (1980–1990) and began his legal career in the General Counsel's office in the U.S. Treasury Department before serving as Deputy General Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Mr. Gadbaw completed his undergraduate work at Fordham University in 1969, earned a Master's Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, completed a year of graduate work at the Institut de Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva and received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan in 1974.

Patrick Gross (Co-Founder and Former Chairman)

Partick Gross is Chairman of The Lovell Group, a business and technology advisory and investment firm. Previously, he spent three decades with American Management Systems, Inc. He founded AMS in 1970 with four colleagues from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and built it to a $ 1 billion company with 7,000 professionals throughout North America and Europe. He is currently a director of four public companies: Capital One Financial Corporation, Career Education Corporation, Liquidity Services, Inc., and Mobius Management Systems, Inc. He is also a director of several private companies including Sarnoff Corporation and Development Alternatives, Inc. His other leadership positions include Trustee and Chairman of the Research and Policy Committee of the Committee for Economic Development, Vice Chairman of the Council for Excellence in Government, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Technology Leadership Consortium, and cofounder and past chairman of the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C.. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the Economic Club of Washington.

Michael Haltzel (Secretary)

Michael Haltzel is Senior Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. Dr. Haltzel capped a distinguished career in public service as senior foreign policy advisor (1994-2005) to Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-Delaware), Ranking Member (Chairman 2001-03) of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and as Democratic Staff Director of the Subcommittee on European Affairs of the Committee. Dr. Haltzel went to the Senate in 1994 from the Library of Congress and from 1985 to 1992, he served as Director of West European Studies of the Woodrow Wilson Center at the Smithsonian Institution. He previously taught Russian and German History at Hamilton College and was Vice President for Academic Affairs at Longwood College. In 1975-78, Dr. Haltzel helped launch the Aspen Institute Berlin as its first Deputy Director. Dr. Haltzel has been awarded the Grand Cross of Commander of the Order of Grand Duke Gediminas by Lithuania, the Star of Romania by Romania, the Knighthood of the Royal Order of the Polar Star by Sweden, the Officer’s Cross Order of Merit by Hungary, the Grand Decoration of Honor in Silver by Austria, and the Three Star Order by Latvia. He received a B.A. magna cum laude with honors in history from Yale, an M.A. in Soviet Studies and a Ph.D. in history, both from Harvard.

Jefferson S. Hofgard

Jeff Hofgard is Boeing's Vice President for International Operations in the Washington, D.C. office. Prior to joining Boeing eight years ago, Hofgard served in the White House as a senior advisor on space issues as assistant director for aeronautics and space in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Before his tenure in the White House, Jeff served as deputy and acting chief of the International Program Policy Branch at NASA headquarters with responsibility for U.S.-Russian space cooperation and NASA's activities within the United Nations. Prior to joining NASA, he was Assistant Director of the Center for Space and Geosciences Policy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Mr. Hofgard holds a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Colorado and a M.S. in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He is married, has three children and lives in Great Falls, Virginia.

The Honorable Franklin Kramer (Chairman)

The Honorable Franklin Kramer is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy. Mr Kramer was Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from March 1996 to February 2001, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and NATO Affairs from January 1996 to March 1996. He has also served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from 1979 to 1981, and as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from 1977 to 1979. Mr. Kramer is the chairman of the board of the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C.; chairman of the Committee on Asian and Global Security of the Atlantic Council and on the Executive Committee of the board; a Capstone Professor at George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs; and on the board of directors and board of advisers of other organizations. Mr. Kramer has been a partner with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Shea and Gardner. Mr. Kramer received a B.A. cum laude from Yale University in 1967 and a J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1971.

Noel Lateef

Noel Lateef currently serves as President and CEO of the Foreign Policy Association, the New York chapter of the World Affairs Councils of America. Lateef came into his current position at the Foreign Policy Association in 1995 after his Chairmanship of the Bowery Division of Home Savings of America. Noel Lateef is a graduate of Yale and Princeton and holds a law degree and a Master's Degree in International Affairs.

Tobia Mecuro

Tobia Mecuro is a retired entrepreneur and CEO. He is engaged in a wide variety of community and charitable organizations, serving as President of a local hospital and charitable fund and serving on the board of several civic organizations. Mr. Mercuro has been a significant supporter of education and the arts in the Washington metro area, including Wolf Trap, the Kennedy Center and the Levine School of Music. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Corcoran Museum of Art and the College of Art and Design.Mr. Mecuro's business career spans 47 years and concentrated in construction materials, mining and manufacturing. He is the former President of Riverton Corporation, which he built into a highly successful business and formed Riverton Investment Corporation affiliated with Martin Marietta. He was active in and on the boards on national and state manufacturing trade organizations, and he is the founder of an industrial lobbying coalition on environmental issues. Currently he mentors several entrepreneurs in a variety of businesses and is a Director of Riverton Properties Management. He is married to Dr. Linda B. Mercuro, a former director at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Together, they have eight children.

Richard P. Merski

Richard Merski, Vice President and Counsel, Corporate Affairs, is a resident in the Washington, DC office of American International Group, Inc. (AIG). Prior to joining AIG in 1985, Mr. Merski served as Legislative Director and Counsel to Congressman Richard T. Schulze (R-PA) and was also employed as an attorney with the law firm of Collier, Shannon, Rill & Scott. Mr. Merski was awarded a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and holds a Masters in International Relations from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Graduating Magna Cum Laude, his studies at Georgetown University concentrated in Economics and Political Science. He is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia; Commonwealth of Virginia; District of Columbia Court of Appeals; U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit; U.S. District Court, District of Columbia; and U.S. Court of International Trade. Mr. Merski is a past-Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council.

Philip A. Odeen

Philip A. Odeen is the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Avaya. He was the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of The Reynolds and Reynolds Co. until its sale to Universal Computer Systems, Inc. in October 2006. Mr. Odeen also served as interim CEO of the UK-based company, QinetiQ North American Operations, and continues to serve on their U.S. board. He is the retired chairman of TRW Inc. Prior to becoming chairman, Mr. Odeen was a member of TRW's Management Committee and served as Executive Vice President of its Washington, DC-focused operations. Mr. Odeen was president and chief executive officer of BDM, which TRW acquired in 1997, and directed its growth and evolution as a multi-national information technology (IT) firm. Mr. Odeen has served in senior positions with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Council staff. In addition to Reynolds and Reynolds, Mr. Odeen is also a member of the board of AES Corp., Convergys Corporation and Northrop Grumman. Mr. Odeen graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in government from the University of South Dakota. He was a Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom and earned a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Thomas J. Reckford (Vice-Chairman)

Thomas J. Reckford is Vice Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C. and a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also the regional director for East Asia at the National Leadership Forum on Global Challenges. Mr. Reckford has been a senior international analyst with the Eaton Corporation, a vice president of InterMatrix Incorporated, a senior advisor to the Government Research Corporation, and an expert consultant to the Department of Commerce. Before entering business, Mr. Reckford served in the Office of National Estimates at the Central Intelligence Agency, in the Commission on the Organization of the Government for the Conduct of Foreign Policy, and in U.S. Army Intelligence in France and Germany. A Harvard graduate (magna cum laude in history), Mr. Reckford has taught political risk analysis at Georgetown University. A former director of the Council on International Business Risk Management, he currently serves on the advisory committee of the Asia Society's Washington Center. He is co-author of Building ASEAN: 20 Years of Southeast Asian Cooperation (Praeger, 1987).

Helmut Sonnenfeldt

Helmut Sonnenfeldt currently serves as Director of the Atlantic Council of the United State, a trustee of Johns Hopkins University, and member of the Executive Panel of the Chief of Naval Operations. Using his expertise in international relations and security, Sonnenfeldt has secured several prestigious positions in his past as well, holding membership in the Executive Committee of the International Institute of Strategic Studies from 1988-1989. Prior to this he served as a Counselor for the U.S. Department of State from 1974 to 1977 was a Senior Staff Member on the National Security Council from 1969 to 1974. Helmut Sonnenfeldt also held the position of Director in the Office of Research on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe of the U.S. Department of State from 1952 to 1969. Mr. Sonnenfeldt holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University.

The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr.

Togo D. West, Jr. served under President Gerald R. Ford as Associate Deputy Attorney General in the U. S. Department of Justice. In the Administration of President Jimmy Carter, he was General Counsel of the Navy, later, the Special Assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense, and, thereafter, General Counsel of the Department of Defense. He served in President Clinton’s Administration as Secretary of the Army. In the second Clinton Administration he was Secretary of Veterans Affairs and a member of President Clinton’s Cabinet from 1998 to 2000. He served on active military duty in the Army's Judge Advocate General Corps and for his service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal, and for his public service, he has received decorations for distinguished service from the Departments of Defense, Army, Air Force, Navy, and Veterans Affairs. Secretary West is the Chair-elect of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Washington Hospital Center. He is an Eagle Scout with Bronze Palm, he has been named Distinguished Eagle Scout by the Boy Scouts of America and was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award for his national contributions to America’s youth. Currently, he is the President of the National Capital Area Chapter of the Boy Scouts of America.

Wesley S. Williams Jr.,

Wesley S. Williams Jr. had been a partner in the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP for more than five years prior to his retirement on January 1, 2005. He has been President and Chief Operating Officer since 2004, Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer from 2003 to 2004, and Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer for more than five years, of Lockhart Companies Incorporated, a 32-company conglomerate of real estate, insurance, and consumer finance companies operating largely in the Eastern Caribbean. Prior to his retirement on January 1, 2005, Mr. Williams had been Chairman from 2003 through 2004, Deputy Chairman from 2001 through 2002, and a member of the Board of Directors for more than five years, of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Mr. Williams has also been Chairman since 2004, and a member of the Board of Directors for more than five years, of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition. Mr. Williams has served as a Director of the Company since 2004 and is a member of the Audit and Qualified Legal Compliance Committees.

Howard Woolley

Howard Woolley is Senior Vice President of Public Policy for Verizon Wireless. Woolley develops and manages company strategy and initiatives in the Congress, Executive Branch, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and state governments. Previously, he served as Vice President of Wireless and International Relations for Bell Atlantic Corporation and was a member of the State Department Communications and Information Policy Advisory Committee. Prior to joining Bell Atlantic, Woolley was vice president of Regulatory Affairs at the National Association of Broadcasters, where he directed association initiatives at the FCC. He holds a BA in TV and Radio from Syracuse University and a MA in management from Johns Hopkins University.

The Honorable R. James Woolsey

The Honorable R. James Woolsey joined Booz Allen Hamilton’s McLean, Virginia, office in 2002 as a Vice President working with the firm’s Global Resilience clients and currently holds positions on a vast number of related committees and boards. In 2003, Consulting Magazine named Mr. Woolsey to its list of Top 25 Consultants in the United States. He was previously a partner at the law firm of Shea & Gardner in Washington, DC, where he practiced for 22 years in the fields of civil litigation and alternative dispute resolution. During his 12 years of government service, Mr. Woolsey was Director of Central Intelligence from 1993 to 1995; Ambassador to the Negotiation on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), Vienna, from 1989 to 1991; Under Secretary of the Navy from 1977 to 1979; and General Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services from 1970 to 1973. Mr. Woolsey received his B.A. degree from Stanford University (1963, With Great Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa), an M.A. from Oxford University (Rhodes Scholar 1963–1965), and an LL.B from Yale Law School (1968, Managing Editor of the Yale Law Journal).