Damon Wilson New Atlantic Council Vice President

International Security Program Director Provides Critical Leadership

Washington, D.C. — Frederick Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic Council of the United States, today appointed former National Security Council official Damon Wilson to the position of Vice President.  He will add this overall management responsibility to his current position as Director of the International Security Program.  Mr. Wilson assumes the new role after serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the White House and departing the State Department in March, following 11 years of government service.

Senator Chuck Hagel, Chairman of the Board of the Atlantic Council, said, “With Damon’s appointment as Vice President, the Council further strengthens its management team during an exciting period of growth.  He combines a rich intellectual understanding of the challenges facing the Atlantic Community and practical knowledge about how to get things done.”

Mr. Kempe said, “Damon has already made a significant contribution to the Council, bolstering both the quality and profile of the Council’s work.  His extensive government experience – from the White House and Foggy Bottom to NATO Headquarters and Baghdad – will enhance the strategic thinking and future activities of the Atlantic Council at a crucial historic moment.”  Mr. Wilson’s appointment also expands Atlantic Council management capability during a year in which it has significantly expanded its activities with new programs focusing on global business and economics, Eurasian energy, South Asia and Africa.

Under Mr. Wilson’s leadership, the Atlantic Council has expanded its work on NATO with a particular emphasis on Afghanistan and a new Strategic Concept.  His program has helped shape debate and impact policy on issues ranging from France’s return to NATO, Germany’s elections and NATO enlargement to missile defense, cyber security, intelligence-sharing, maritime security and transatlantic defense industrial cooperation.  Mr. Wilson has played a key role in helping to launch the Council’s new Africa Center, while strengthening relationships with key European partners.  He has developed innovative transition seminars for NATO’s new leadership, organized strategy sessions for senior U.S. military commanders and inaugurated high-profile speaker series in Washington and New York.

Prior to his service as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, Mr. Wilson served as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq; Director for Central, Eastern and Northern European Affairs at the NSC; and Deputy Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General, during which he advised Lord Robertson on Afghanistan and NATO’s historic post-Cold War enlargement and transformation to face modern threats.

The Atlantic Council aims to renew the Atlantic community for 21st-century global challenges through constructive U.S.-European leadership and engagement in world affairs.  A coordinated response from the Atlantic community is essential to addressing today’s most pressing issues:  economic instability, climate change, energy security, failed states, a rising Asia, a resurgent Russia.  Led by Senator Chuck Hagel, Chairman, and Frederick Kempe, President and CEO, the Atlantic Council embodies a network of policy, academic and business leaders who foster transatlantic ties through non-partisan and cross-national discussions and studies.

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Please contact Peter Cassata, Public Affairs Coordinator of the Atlantic Council, at press@acus.org or 202-778-4991 for more information.