Kurt Volker
Kurt Volker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 19th United States Permanent Representative to NATO | |
| In office July 2, 2008 – May 15, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Victoria Nuland |
| Succeeded by | Ivo Daalder |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1962 (age 61–62) Pennsylvania |
| Spouse | Karen Volker |
Kurt Volker (born 1962)[1] Volker is a career diplomat and Europe specialist who also worked in the White House.
Biography
Early life
Kurt Volker was born in 1962. He graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in International Affairs in 1984. He also holds an M.A. in International Relations from The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
Career
He began his career in foreign affairs as an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency in 1986.[1]
In 1988, he joined the United States Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in the United States Foreign Service.[1] While in the Foreign Service, he served as a legislative fellow on the staff of Senator John McCain from 1997 to 1998. In 1998, he became first secretary of the US mission to NATO, and in 1999 he became Deputy Director of NATO Secretary-General George Robertson's private office, serving in that position until 2001.[2]
He then became acting director for European and Eurasian Affairs for the National Security Council, in that capacity he was in charge of US preparations for 2004 Istanbul summit of NATO members and the 2002 Prague summit. In July 2005, He became the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, serving in that position until he was appointed United States Permanent Representative to NATO in July 2008 by President George W. Bush.[2]He has been serving in that position from July 2, 2008 to May 15, 2009.[2]
In 2011, he joined BGR Group, a Washington-based lobbying firm and investment bank, where he currently serves as a managing director in the firm's international group.[3] He then became executive director of Arizona State University’s McCain Institute for International Leadership.
On 7 July 2017 it was announced that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be appointing Ambassador Kurt Volker as the special representative for Ukraine. He’ll coordinate the State Department’s efforts to address “the conflict created when Russia invaded Crimea and later eastern Ukraine.” The selection comes amid scant progress in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, when President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the sidelines of G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. [4]
Personal life
He has two children - Matthias Volker and Sonja Volker.
References
- ^ a b c "Kurt Volker". NNDB.
- ^ a b c "Kurt Volker: Ambassador, United States Permanent Representative". US Mission to Nato.
- ^ http://bgrct.com/x-bios/bgr-volker.html
- ^ The Trump administration taps former NATO envoy for Ukraine role. AP News, July 7, 2017
External links
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- {{https://www.mccaininstitute.org/staff/kurt-volker/ Biography] of Kurt Volker}}
