Damon Wilson

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Damon Wilson
Born	Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Education	Duke University (BA) Princeton University (MPA)
Scientific career
Fields	NATO, Transatlantic Relations European Defense

Damon Wilson is an American foreign policy advisor and the current executive vice president at the Atlantic Council,^[1] a foreign and public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. Wilson also currently serves as a senior advisor on the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council^[2] and as an International Advisory Board member at the Slovak Atlantic Commission.^[3]

Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Wilson served as Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council during President George W. Bush's second term. On June 2, 2021, Wilson was named President of the National Endowment for Democracy, succeeding Carl Gershman.^[4]

Biography[]

Wilson was born in Charleston, South Carolina.

He attended Duke University as a Benjamin N. Duke Leadership Scholar and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1995.

Following graduation, Wilson was awarded the first Hart Leadership Fellowship for the year 1995-1996, working in Rwanda with Save the Children's Children and War Program. During the fellowship, he helped design the field office's information and documentation systems and participated in program planning for projects focused on unaccompanied children.^[5]

Wilson completed his master's degree (MPA) at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1998. While there, he taught an undergraduate policy workshop on Implementing NATO Expansion with Dr. Richard Ullman and was selected for a Presidential Management Fellowship. As a fellow, Wilson worked on the State Department's China desk and at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Wilson speaks French and has been decorated by the Presidents of Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, and Georgia^[6] for his efforts to advance transatlantic relations.

Career[]

Wilson has had a long career in working on defense policy as it relates to NATO and US-European relations.^[7] He has worked for the NATO Secretary General, the National Security Council, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad before finally moving to the Atlantic Council.

Deputy Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General[]

As Deputy Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General, assisting Lord Robertson in his drive to transform the Alliance by enlarging NATO membership, conducting operations beyond Europe particularly in Afghanistan, and adapting Allied capabilities to face modern threats. Mr. Wilson also supported the Secretary General's role in the successful effort to avert civil war in Macedonia.

Director for Central, Eastern and Northern European Affairs at the National Security Council[]

From January 2004 to November 2006, as Director for Central, Eastern and Northern European Affairs at the National Security Council, Wilson strengthened ties with the German Chancellery, coordinated interagency policy in support of reform in Ukraine, including during the Orange Revolution, directed efforts to deepen engagement with America’s allies in Central and Eastern Europe, including beginning the expansion of more secure visa-free travel, and promoted close consultations with coalition partners in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad[]

In 2007, Wilson served at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as the Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff, where he helped manage the largest U.S. Embassy, implementing a reorganization plan which strengthened coordination, accountability and effectiveness, and played a key role in overseeing the Embassy’s effort to design and implement a civilian surge throughout Iraq.

Damon Wilson and Ambassador Robert Hunter

Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council[]

From December 2007 to January 2009, as Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, Wilson played a leading role in developing and coordinating U.S. government efforts to advance a Europe whole, free and at peace. He managed interagency policy on NATO, the European Union, Georgia, Ukraine, the Balkans, Eurasian energy security and Turkey, and planned numerous Presidential visits to Europe, including U.S.-European Union and NATO Summits.

Director of the International Security Program at the Atlantic Council[]

Since early 2009 to present, Wilson directs the International Security program at the Atlantic Council of the United States, a foreign and public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. His work focuses on NATO transformation, European defense, emerging global security challenges and transatlantic defense and intelligence cooperation. He frequently speaks and writes on European foreign policy and security issues.

Executive Vice President of the Atlantic Council[]

As of the Summer of 2011, Mr. Wilson has been formally promoted to the position of executive vice president of the Atlantic Council. His former posting as the Director of the International Security Program has been filled by .

References[]

External links[]

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Profiles and Bios[]

• Bio at the Atlantic Council of the United States
• Bio at the Hart Fellows Program

Speeches and Interviews[]

• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Congressional Testimony (Video) on the Future of NATO, U.S. Senate, May 6, 2009
• Interview (Video) on President Obama's Visit to Moscow, AHA! Network, June 16, 2009
• Interview (Video) on Vice President Biden's Trip to Ukraine and Georgia, Voice of America, July 20, 2009

Publications and articles[]

• "Transatlantic Partnership Under the Obama Administration", Euro-Atlantic Quarterly, February 2009
• "Russia Must Also Hit the Reset Button", New Atlanticist, April 1, 2009
• "Ukraine on the Brink", Foreign Policy Magazine, May 28, 2009
• "Biden Defines Europe Policy", New Atlanticist, August 5, 2009