USACC
United States-Azerbaijan
Chamber of Commerce
This is a remarkable group purely because its member list is quite simply a `who’s-who’ of the elite. Scrub “… and the free world” from the groups own description and you’ll realize exactly whose interest Azerbaijan is in.
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1212 Potomac Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007
Tel: (202) 333-8702--- Fax: (202) 333-8703
E-mail: chamber@usacc.org
Azerbaijan today is a country that is geopolitically and strategically vital to the United States and the free world. The original Republic of Azerbaijan was formed in 1918 in the wake of World War I, as the first nation in the Caucasus to establish an independent, secular, and democratic government with its own parliament, army and currency. However, not long thereafter, the newly formed state of Azerbaijan was taken over by the Soviet Union. On December 3, 1991, the people of Azerbaijan voted overwhelmingly in a referendum in favor of the formation of the new independent Republic of Azerbaijan after more than 70 years of Soviet rule.
Bordering on the Caspian Sea with rich agrarian productivity and its plentiful supply of natural resources, Azerbaijan can provide a stable source of energy and other products for generations to come. Today, more than ever, mutual understanding, cooperation, and commerce are essential to the development and peace and stability in this region. To this end, the United States - Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) was established in 1995 to improve mutual understanding and create bonds of cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan across a wide range of areas including commercial, cultural, educational, and scientific activities.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/prof-about.htm
James A. Baker, III has served in senior government positions under three United States Presidents. He served as the nation's 61st Secretary of State from January 1989 through August 1992 under President Bush. During his tenure at the State Department, Mr. Baker traveled to 90 foreign countries as the United States confronted the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the post Cold War era. In 1995, Mr. Baker published The Politics of Diplomacy, his reflections on those years of revolution, war and peace.
Mr. Baker served as the 67th Secretary of the Treasury from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. As Treasury Secretary, he was also Chairman of the President's Economic Policy Council. From 1981 to 1985, he served as Whit House Chief of Staff to President Reagan. Mr. Baker's record of public service began in 1975 as Under Secretary of Commerce to President Gerald Ford. It concluded with his service as White House Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to President Bush from August 1992 to January 1993.
Long active in the American presidential politics, Mr. Baker led presidential campaigns for Presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush over the course of five consecutive presidential elections from 1976 to 1992.
A native Houstonian, Mr. Baker graduated from Princeton University 1952. After two years of active duty as a Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, he entered the University of Texas School of Law at Austin. He received his J.D. with honors in 1957, and practiced law with the Houston firm of Andrews and Kurth from 1957 to 1975.
Mr. Baker received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991 and has been the recipient of many other awards for distinguished public service, including Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson Award, The American Institute for Public Service's Jefferson Award, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Award, the Department of the Treasury's Alexander Hamilton Award, the Department of State's Distinguished Service Award, and numerous honorary academic degrees.
Mr. Baker is presently a senior partner in the law firm of Baker & Botts and Senior Counselor to The Carlyle Group, a merchant banking firm in Washington, D.C. He is Honorary Chairman of the James A. Baker, III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and serves on the boards of Rice University, Princeton University, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In 1997, Mr. Baker served as the Personal Envoy of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to mediate direct talks between the parties to the dispute over Western Sahara.
Mr. Baker was born in Houston, Texas in 1930. He and his wife, the former Susan Garrett, currently reside in Houston, and have eight children and twelve grandchildren.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/jbaker.htm
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Senator Lloyd Bentsen was appointed the 69th Secretary of the Treasury by President Clinton in January 1993 and served to December 1994, playing a pivotal role in the Administration’s successful efforts to reduce the federal deficit and increase trade and economic opportunity through NAFTA and GATT.
As Secretary, he was a major policy adviser to the President and had primary responsibility for formulating domestic and international financial, economic and tax policy, managing public debt and overseeing Treasury’s substantial law enforcement role.
Prior to joining the President’s Cabinet, the Texas native was one of the most powerful members of the U.S. Senate, where he served since 1971. He was Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which has responsibility for tax and trade issues. He also served as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation and the Joint Economic Committee. In 1988, he was the Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States.
Mr. Bentsen began his public service career as a Texas county judge, then served three terms in the U.S. House. In 1955 he began a 16- year career as a Houston businessman, he was president of Lincoln Consolidated, a financial holding institution.
Volunteering for the Army after graduation from the University of Texas School of Law in 1942, Mr. Bentsen served in an intelligence post and later volunteered as a pilot. He flew 35 combat missions in Europe, winning promotion to Major and Squadron Commander by age 24, and leaving the service with the rank of Colonel in the Air Force Reserves. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for aviation valor.
Mr. Bentsen and his wife, B. A., have three children.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/lbentsen.htm
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Counselor, Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Professor of American Foreign Policy at the School of Advanced International Studies, the Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C.
From 1977 to 1981, National Security Advisor to the President of the United States. In 1981 awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role in the normalization of U.S.-Chinese relations and for his contributions to the human rights and national security policies of the United States.
OTHER CURRENT ACTIVITIES
Public and Pro Bono: Member of the Board for Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy (a Congressionally-funded institution for the advancement of democracy); Honorary Chairman of the AmeriCares Foundation (a private philanthropic humanitarian aid organization); Member of the Board of Trustees of Freedom House (a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of freedom); Trustee of the Trilateral Commission (a cooperative American-European-Japanese forum); Member of the Board of Directors of the Polish-American Enterprise Fund; Chairman of the American-Ukrainian Advisory Committee; etc.
Private Sector: International advisor of several major US/global corporations; frequent participant in annual business/trade conventions; President of Z.B. Inc. (an advisory firm on international issues to corporations and financial institutions). Also a frequent public speaker, commentator on major domestic and foreign TV programs, and contributor to domestic and foreign newspapers and journals.
PAST ACTIVITIES
U.S. Government: 1966-68, Member of the Policy Planning Council of the Department of State; 1985, Member of the President’s Chemical Warfare Commission; 1987-1988, Member of the NSC-Defense Department Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy; 1987-1989, Member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board ( a Presidential commission to oversee U.S. intelligence activities).
Public and Political: 1973-1976, Director of the Trilateral Commission; in the 1968 presidential campaign, chairman of the Humphrey Foreign Policy Task Force; in the 1976 presidential campaign, principal foreign policy advisor to Jimmy Carter. In 1988, co-chairman of the Bush National Security Advisory Task Force, Past Member of the Boards of Directors of Amnesty International,…of the Council on Foreign Relations,…of the Atlantic Council; etc.
Academic: On the faculty of Columbia University from 1960 to 1989; from 1953- 1960, on the faculty of Harvard University. Ph.D., Harvard University, 1953; B.A. and M.A., McGill University, 1949 & 1950.
His most recent book is OUT OF CONTROL: Global Turmoil on the Eve of the 21st Century.
Also author of the bestseller THE GRAND FAILURE: The Birth and Death of Communism in the 20th Century. As well as of GAME PLAN: How to Conduct the U.S.-Soviet Contest; POWER AND PRINCIPLE: The Memoirs of the National Security Advisor; THE FRAGILE BLOSSOM: Crisis and Change in Japan; BETWEEN TWO AGES: America’s Role in the Technetronic Era; THE SOVIET BLOC: Unity and Conflict; and of other books and many articles in numerous U.S. and foreign academic journals.
Honors: In 1995, awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest civilian decoration, for his contributions to recovery by Poland of its Independence. Honorary degrees from Georgetown University, Williams College, Fordham University, College of the Holy Cross, Alliance College, the Catholic University of Lubin, Warsaw University. Also the Centennial Medal of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University; the Hubert Humphrey Award for Public Service from the American Political Science Association; the U Thant Award; as well as fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ford Foundation, etc. In 1969 elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1963, selected by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as one of America’s Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Year.
PERSONAL: Born in Warsaw, Poland, 1928; son of diplomat posted to Canada in 1938; married to Emilie Anna (Muska) Benes, a graduate of Wellesley College, sculptor; three children: Ian, Mark, and Mika.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/zbrzezinski.htm
Return to Zbigniew Brzezinski and The Trilateral Commission
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(Resigned in November, 2000)
Dick Cheney joined Halliburton Company on October 1, 1995 as
President and Chief Executive Officer. On January 2, 1996 he became Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Cheney comes to Halliburton after a long and distinguished career in government, culminating in four years as Secretary of Defense in the Bush Administration.
Mr. Cheney grew up in Wyoming and earned BA and MA degrees from the University of Wyoming.
In 1969 he joined the Nixon Administration and served in a number of positions at the Cost of Living Council, the Office of Economic Opportunity and the White House. He left the government in 1973 to become Vice President of Bradley, Woods and Company, an investment advisory firm.
When Gerald Ford assumed the Presidency in August of 1974, Mr. Cheney was invited to serve on the transition team and later as Deputy Assistant to the President. In November 1975, he was named Assistant to the President and White House Chief of Staff, a position he held throughout the remainder of the Ford Administration.
Returning to his home state of Wyoming in 1977, Mr. Cheney was elected to serve as the state’s sole Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978. He was re-elected five times. At the end of his first term his Republican colleagues elected him to serve as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee. He later became Chairman of the Republican Conference and House Minority Whip, the second-ranking GOP leader.
As Secretary of Defense from March 1989 to January 1993, Mr. Cheney directed two of the largest military campaigns in recent history —Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East. He was also responsible for shaping the future of the U.S. military in an age of profound and rapid change as the Cold War ended. For his leadership in the Gulf War, Mr. Cheney was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George Bush on July 3, 1991.
After leaving the Defense Department in 1993, Mr. Cheney served as a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and lectured widely around the country. He currently serves on the board of directors of Proctor & Gamble, Union Pacific and EDS. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Southern Methodist University and the American Enterprise Institute.
In November, 2000 Dick Cheney was elected the Vice President of the United States of America and currently resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife Lynne. They have two grown daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/dcheney.htm
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Henry Alfred Kissinger was sworn in on September 22, 1973 as the 56th Secretary of State, a position he held until January 20, 1977. He also served as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from January 20, 1969, until November 3, 1975. In July 1983 he was appointed by President Reagan to chair the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America until it ceased operation in January 1985, and from 1984-1990 he served as a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
At present, Dr. Kissinger is Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm. He is also a Counselor to the Chase Manhattan Bank and a member of its International Advisory Council; Chairman of the International Advisory Board of American International Group, Inc.; a Counselor to and Trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and an Honorary Governor of the Foreign Policy Association. From 1986-1988 he was a member of the Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy of the National Security Council and Defense Department. Among his other activities, Dr. Kissinger is a member of the Board of Directors of Continental Grain Company, Revlon Inc., Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc., Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, and Hollinger International Inc. He is also an Advisor to the Board of Directors of American Express Company, a member of the Advisory Boards of Hollinger International and Forstmann Little and Co., a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a Director of the International Rescue Committee.
Among the awards Dr. Kissinger has received have been the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973; the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation’s highest civilian award) in 1977; and the Medal of Liberty in 1986.
Dr. Kissinger was born in Fuerth, Germany, came to the United States in 1938 and was naturalized a United States citizen in 1943. He served in the Army from 1943 to 1946. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1950 and received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in 1952 and 1954.
From 1954 until 1969 he was a member of the faculty of Harvard University, in both the Department of Government and the Center for International Affairs. He was Director of the Harvard International Seminars from 1952 to 1969.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/hkissinger.htm
Back to A Ponerological Profile - Henry Kissinger
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Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.), is a President of The Scowcroft Group, Inc., an international business consulting firm. He is also the founder and President of The Forum for International Policy, a non-profit organization providing independent perspectives and opinions on major foreign policy issues, based on a commitment to active, thoughtful American global leadership.
General Scowcroft served as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs to Presidents Ford and Bush. He also served as Military Assistant to President Nixon and as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs to Presidents Ford and Nixon. Prior to joining the Bush Administration, General Scowcroft was Vice Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc. He serves as a Director on the boards of Pennzoil-Quaker State, and Qualcomm Corporations, and the American Council on Germany.
In the course of his military career, General Scowcroft has held positions in the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Headquarters of the U.S. Air Force, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Other assignments included faculty positions at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Assistant Air Attaché in the American Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
General Scowcroft has chaired or served on a number of policy advisory councils, including the President's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control, the President's Commission on Strategic Forces, the President's Blue Ribbon Commission on Defense Management, and the President's Special Review Board (Tower Board) investigating the Iran-Contra Affair. He currently serves as Chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB) and as Chairman of the Board of the American-Turkish Council (ATC). He is also a Member of the Board of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, the George C. Marshall Foundation, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Atlantic Council of the United States, the International Republican Institute, and the National Defense University. He is also Chairman of the Board of the CSIS/Pacific Forum, the Bush Presidential Library Foundation, the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the Defense Policy Board.
General Scowcroft had an aeronautical rating as a pilot and has numerous military decorations and awards. In addition, President Bush presented him with the Medal of Freedom Award in 1991. In 1993, he was presented with the insignia of an Honorary Knight of the British Empire (K.B.E.) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.
General Scowcroft was born in Ogden, Utah. He received his undergraduate degree and commission into the Army Air Forces from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has an M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbus University.
General Scowcroft was married to the late Marian Horner Scowcroft and has one daughter.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/bscowcroft.htm
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Governor Sununu was Chief of Staff to the President of the United States on January 21, 1989 and served the White House until 1993. As Chief of Staff, Governor Sununu oversaw the daily operations of the White House and its staff. Governor Sununu also served as a Counselor to the President. The Governor is a member of the Board of Trustees for the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation.
Governor Sununu became the state of New Hampshire’s 93rd Governor on January 6, 1983 and served the consecutive terms prior to joining the White House. He assumed office with a background of nearly 20 years experience as a community leader. The governor gained both national and international recognition through his Chairmanship of Coalition of Governors & Chairmanship of the Republican Governors’ Association. He was elected in 1987 to the Chairmanship of United States Governors Association.
From 1960 to 1965, he served as Chief Engineer for Astro Dynamics, Inc.
The Governor graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and earned his Ph.D. there.
He was the head of engineering faculty of Tuft University and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He served on the Advisory Board of the Technology and Policy Program at M.I.T. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Governor is currently the President of JHS Associates, LTD., and chief partner in Trinity International Partners, a private financial firm. He is also the chairman and co-host of CNN’s "Crossfire," a news and public affairs discussion program.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/jsununu.htm
Chairman Emeritus
T. Don Stacy started his career with Amoco in 1956. He studied petroleum engineering at Louisiana Tech University and later at Mississippi State University where he earned a Ph.D. in Engineering Science in 1967. From 1963 to 1967, Mr. Stacy was Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering in Mississippi State University.
Mr. Stacy has served in several positions with Amoco, including Vice President Production, for Amoco's Central and South American Region. From 1977 until 1980, he was Production Research Manager for Amoco's Production Research Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was Vice President of Planning for Amoco Production Co. in 1985-86.
He was named President of Amoco Canada in 1986 and was named Chairman and President in 1988. He held that post until 1993 at which time he was named Chairman and President of Amoco Eurasia Petroleum Co. From the inception of Crestar Energy in 1991 until April 1996 he served as non-executive Chairman of the board of Crestar, a senior oil and gas company in Canada.
In 1983, Mr. Stacy was worldwide President of The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), and was a Director of the sponsoring Board hosting the 1987 World Petroleum Congress. He was made an honorary member of the AIME and SPE in 1992. Mr. Stacy was Chairman of the First Joint SPE/DOE Enhanced Recovery Symposium and is Past Chairman of the Board of The Offshore Technology Conference. He was involved in numerous Canadian and International civic and professional organizations, including member of the Board of Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta; Past Chairman of the Board of Governors, Canadian Petroleum Association; Board of Directors of the United Way of Calgary; Director on The Conference Board of Canada; and he was General Campaign of the United Way for Calgary for 1990. Mr. Stacy served on the Board of Governors of the US-Russia Business Council and is the past Co-Chairman of the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC. Mr. Stacy was awarded the 1998 SPE Public Service Award for humanitarian efforts, primarily on behalf of refugees in Azerbaijan.
Mr. Stacy serves as a Corporate Director for the following companies: Camco International Inc. (now Schlumberger Technology Corp.) until April 30, 1999; Noble Affiliates Inc.; Alberta Energy Co. Ltd. (AEC); and Agrium Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of fertilizer products. He chairs the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee for Agrium and the Reserves Committee for Alberta Energy Co. Ltd.
Mr. Stacy and his wife, Wanda, now reside in Houston where he enjoys spending time with his Grandchildren and lists his favorite pastimes as golf, fishing and bird hunting.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/tstacy.htm
A. Tim Cejka
Tim Cejka was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is married with two daughters. He began his career with Exxon over 25 years ago as a geophysicist mapping areas in the U.S. He has served in various line management positions as well as strategic planning, as advisor to the Upstream Director for Exxon Corporation, and as Exploration Advisor for Exxon's Netherlands and German affiliates. He was Vice President of Exxon Ventures CIS and traveled extensively in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. Post merger of Exxon and Mobil he became Vice President for the Caspian/Middle East region for ExxonMobil Exploration Company. His current position is Executive Vice President for ExxonMobil Exploration with responsibilities for exploration and geoscience in Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Caspian Region.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/rvaziri.htm
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Reza Vaziri, President of R.V. Investment Group, has been actively involved in business with Azerbaijan since just after its independence. Most recently, Mr. Vaziri successfully negotiated for concessions to Azerbaijan’s gold resources. Prior to his business career, which initially focused on caviar and fine foods, Mr. Vaziri held a number of high-ranking positions in the pre-revolutionary Iranian Government. He was the Head of Foreign Relations Office at the Ministry of the Imperial Court of Iran. At the time of the revolution, he was Chief of the Office of Political and International Affairs. Mr. Vaziri holds a Law Degree from the National University of Iran.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/rvaziri.htm
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Ambassador Richard Armitage
(Resigned in
February, 2001)
Richard L. Armitage's nomination as Deputy Secretary of State was confirmed by the Senate on March 23, 2001. He was sworn in on March 26, 2001.
Since May 1993, Richard L. Armitage was President of Armitage Associates L.C. He had been engaged in a range of worldwide business and public policy endeavors as well as frequent public speaking and writing. Previously, he held senior troubleshooting and negotiating positions in the Departments of State and Defense, and the Congress.
From March 1992 until his departure from public service in May 1993, Mr. Armitage (with the personal rank of Ambassador) directed U.S. assistance to the new independent states (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. In January 1992, the Bush Administration's desire to jump-start international assistance to the NIS resulted in his appointment as Coordinator for Emergency Humanitarian Assistance. During his tenure in these positions Mr. Armitage completed extensive international coordination projects with the European Community, Japan and other donor countries.
From 1989 through 1992, Mr. Armitage filled key diplomatic positions as Presidential Special Negotiator for the Philippines Military Bases Agreement and Special Mediator for Water in the Middle East. President Bush sent him as a Special Emissary to Jordan's King Hussein during the 1991 Gulf War.
In the Pentagon from June 1983 to May 1989, he served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He represented the Department of Defense in developing politico-military relationships and initiatives throughout the world, spearheaded U.S. Pacific security policy including the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-China security relationships, managed all DoD security assistance programs, and provided oversight of policies related to the law of the sea, U.S. special operations, and counter-terrorism. He played a leading role in Middle East Security Policies.
In May 1975 Mr. Armitage came to Washington as a Pentagon consultant and was posted in Tehran, Iran, until November 1976. Following two years in the private sector, he took the position as Administrative Assistant to Senator Robert Dole of Kansas in 1987. In the 1980 Reagan campaign, Mr. Armitage was senior advisor to the Interim Foreign Policy Advisory board, which prepared the president- elect for major international policy issues confronting the new administration. From 1981 until June 1983 Mr. Armitage was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia and Pacific Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Born in 1945, Mr. Armitage graduated in 1976 from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. He served on a destroyer stationed on the Vietnam gunline and subsequently completed three combat tours with the riverine/advisory forces in Vietnam. Fluent in Vietnamese, Mr. Armitage left active duty in 1973 and joined the U.S. Defense Attache Office, Saigon. Immediately prior to the fall of Saigon, he organized and led the removal of Vietnamese naval assets and personnel from the country.
Mr. Armitage's endeavors include past service on several Boards and committees. He has received numerous U.S. military decorations as well as decorations from the governments of Thailand, Republic of Korea, Bahrain, and Pakistan.
Mr. Armitage was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service four times, the Presidential Citizens Medal, presented by the President to citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service, and the Department of State Distinguished Honor Award.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/rarmitage.htm
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Since 1981, Mr. Azima has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aviation Leasing Group of Companies (ALG). ALG is directly involved in airline operations and technical support of the aviation industry. The Group currently owns, operates, and/or manages over 50 aircraft, many of which are operated by ALG’s associated company Buffalo Airways. Farhad Azima is Chairman of Buffalo Airways which, in addition to its airline operations, conducts a sophisticated training program which includes training for the FAA, a number of other airlines, and training for the U.S. Navy E6 program, a program which is also under consideration by the U.S. Air Force.
The Company specializes in creating turnkey airlines and provides services to clients in South America, Africa, St. Lucia, a number of USSR Republics, the U.S. and Canada. Services include aircraft leasing, procurement, financing, management, training, operations and technical support, and automation.
In 1976, Mr. Azima founded Global International Airways, a large U.S. carrier, providing passenger and cargo service worldwide. Global operated an all Boeing fleet including 747s, 707s and 727s. Mr. Azima held the positions of President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer during the ten years of operation. Concurrent to his participation in Global, in 1982, he acquired the controlling interest in Capital Air, a U.S. scheduled air carrier with domestic and international operations. Mr. Azima served as Chairman. Capital’s operation included a large maintenance base for major aircraft overhaul located in Smyma, Tennessee. Both the airline and maintenance operations were sold in 1985.
Mr. Azima’s experience prior to the founding of Global International Airways includes the organization of major aviation support services for airline operations in the Middle East. This company later became a major transporter of livestock by air. Other activities in non-aviation fields include heavy industry, cement plants.
Mr. Azima achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Business Administration from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and is fluent in English, Farsi, Turkish, and has knowledge of Arabic and Russian. He and his wife Lynda have two daughters, Lila who is a student at Boston University, and Jennifer. Lynda received a Master’s Degree from the University of Kansas in 1967, and taught in the Kansas City school system and at the University of Kansas until 1973. Mr. Azima maintains residences in Kansas City, New York and London.
The operation of group companies is directed from Kansas City for the Americas and the international operations are headquartered in London.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/fazima.htm
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James A. Baker, IV is a partner in the corporate department of the Washington, D.C. office of Baker Botts. Since joining the Washington office of the firm in 1985, Mr. Baker has concentrated his practice in a variety of international commercial and trade related matters and commercial transactions.
Mr. Baker's transactional practice relates principally to matters in the energy, telecommunications, technology, and life sciences sectors of the economy and involves corporate compliance counseling and contract negotiation and documentation of investment vehicles, business combinations, divestitures and operations, licensing arrangements, and various forms of corporate and project finance. His client representations include both publicly traded and closely held companies, venture capital and private equity investment funds and partnerships, limited liability companies, and joint ventures, and he has advised clients in both inbound and outbound foreign investments. As a result of the diversity of his practice and client base, Mr. Baker ordinarily works closely with lawyers engaged in various specialized disciplines, including tax, environmental, labor and employment and intellectual property law.
In recent years, Mr. Baker's international representations include transactions in the Arabian peninsula, Central and East Asia, Europe, and Russia, many of which have involved negotiations between private concerns and government agencies or state enterprises. He has recently represented the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan Consortium in connection with its oil pipeline project, and East Mediterranean Gas S.A.E. in connection with that company's effort to construct a subsea natural gas pipeline to run from Egypt along the Mediterranean coastline to Turkey.
In addition to his transactional portfolio, Mr. Baker maintains an active practice in advising U.S. and foreign companies with respect to their compliance obligations under U.S. trade and transactional regulations. In this regard, his experience includes advice regarding export controls on sophisticated technology, country-specific economic sanctions, anti-boycott compliance, and counseling regarding the application of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the Foreign Agent Registration Act, etc.
Prior to joining Baker Botts, Mr. Baker served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Majority Leader from 1982 to 1985. In that capacity, his duties included advising the Majority Leader on legislative and policy matters, both parochially and in his capacity as Majority Leader. He was responsible for coordination and negotiations between and among the Senate leadership, Senate committees, federal agencies, and the House of Representatives leadership offices, and in conjunction with the Senate Legal Counsel, he advised on all legal matters that came before the Majority Leader's office.
Mr. Baker graduated from Cornell University (B.S. - Economics) in 1977 and from the University of Texas School of Law in 1981, where he was on the Editorial Board of The Texas International Law Journal. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the District of Columbia Bar Association, and the American Bar Association, in the latter of which he participates as a member of the Section of International Law and Practice and the Section on Taxation.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/bakerIV.htm
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Betty Blair is the Founding Editor of Azerbaijan International, a magazine published quarterly since 1993. This publication provides a forum for the discussion and thought related to Azerbaijanis throughout the world on a wide range of subjects including art, business, culture, education, international relations, language, literature, current events, traditions and trends. The magazine is distributed among top level government and diplomatic circles (both Azerbaijani and international) and the academic and the international business communities throughout the world. Azerbaijan International has offices in Los Angeles and Baku. Publisher: Pirouz Khanlou.
Azerbaijan International * Box 5217 * Sherman Oaks, CA 91413 ai@artnet.net * (818) 785-0077 * Fax: (818) 997-7337.
Blair is a Founding Board Member of USACC (1995 - present)
Member of the Board of Advisors of American Voices (2001 - present)
Websites about Azerbaijan that have been created under Blair's direction include:
AZER.com - "World's Largest Website about Azerbaijan"
Archives the magazine articles from Azerbaijan International since 1993. Also features more than 120 samples of Azerbaijani music since May 1996.
AZgallery.org - "Discover the Little Known World of Art in Azerbaijan"
Featuring the work of more than 125 Azeri artists and 1900 works of art. This site facilitates relations between Azerbaijanis fine artists and art lovers around the world. Since August 1999.
AZERI.org - "All about the Azeri Language"
This site features articles in English and in Azeri (both Latin and Arabic scripts) with special emphasis on contemporary Azerbaijani literature (short stories and poetry) and Language usage (proverbs, songs, sociolinguistic analysis). Since July 2000.
Betty Blair has edited the following works:
"Azerbaijan - Land of Fire", a photo book featuring contemporary life in Azerbaijan. Copyright 1996 by Azerbaijan International. Sponsored by BP and Statoil Alliance.
"Global Horizons - President Aliyev's Visit to the USA" (English and Azeri volumes). Copyright 1997 by Azerbaijan International. Sponsored by Amoco, Chevron, Exxon and Mobil.
Azerbaijan Literature Series. Volume 1: "Mir Jalal (Pashayev) - Short Stories - Dried Up In Meetings" - (12 Short stories in English). Copyright 1998 by Azerbaijan International.
Blair was instrumental in facilitating the publishing of the first major "Azerbaijani-English Dictionary" in the history of the country. Compiled by Uruj Musayev (45,000 terms in Cyrillic script 1997, Latin script 1998). The English-Azerbaijani reverse volumes (2) are expected late 2002. Sponsored by Exxon.
Blair facilitated the donation of $50K worth of musical instruments and musical parts for the use of children studying at Bulbul Music School and the Children's Symphonic Orchestra in 1998. Project sponsored by Texaco.
Blair initiated the project undertaken by Texaco in 1998 to totally refurbish the Azerbaijan National Blood Center in Baku so that blood could be tested for HIV, hepatitis and gonorrhea and that properly stored and refrigerated for use. This half million dollar project also consisted of refurbishing and remodeling two floors of one of the wings of the Center. Project completed in 2001. Sponsored by Texaco.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/bblair.htm
**
Howard Chase became Director of International Affairs for BP Amoco in Washington, DC in December, 2000. For the previous three years, he was Director of External Affairs for BP Russia based in Moscow.
In a career of over twenty years with BP, Howard has worked in many locations around the world including the North Sea, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Algeria, Vietnam and Angola.
He graduated from Cambridge University in the UK with a Bachelors Degree in Engineering and has post-graduate qualifications in Management Studies. Howard speaks German and Russian.
He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Russian National Orchestra and a guest lecturer at the Moscow Institute of International Economy.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/chase.htm
**
Donald M. Condon,
Jr.
Don Condon, president and general manager of Conoco Energy Ventures Inc., is responsible for development of integrated energy ventures for Conoco Inc. He is based in Houston, with responsibility for Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Condon joined Conoco in 1993 after nearly 20 years with DuPont, which was Conoco's parent company at the time. In DuPont, he held a number of manufacturing, marketing, negotiating and general management positions in the Finishes, Fabrics, Electronics, Remington Arms, Membranes and Polymers businesses. He also served in the Corporate Plans group and led several significant acquisitions and divestitures.
Within Conoco, Condon has headed the Upstream Finance group and spent a short time in the Corporate Strategy and Development group before being named to start up Conoco Global Power Inc. in 1995. Later that year he also was named to lead DuPont's Power business. He took on his current responsibilities in 1999.
A native of Brodhead, Wisconsin, Condon holds a B.B.A. degree in finance and management from the University of Wisconsin. He has done graduate work in international business and marketing at the University of Delaware and the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut) and has completed the executive management course at Southern Methodist University.
Condon and his wife, Linda, have three children, Kelley, Nikki and T. J. They enjoy music, golf, skiing, hiking and college sports. Don serves as a board member for The University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Business, The World Energy Development Congress, The Montreux Energy Round Table, and Chapelwood United Methodist Church. He is a member of Sigma Phi Social Fraternity and American Mensa.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/dcondon.htm
**
Stan Escudero is President of Shield Bearer L.L.C., a newly- established but already successful consulting firm based in Azerbaijan and Florida. A veteran Bakuvian, Stan first arrived in Azerbaijan in 1997 as Ambassador of the United States. Using his extensive access at the highest levels of the Azerbaijani government as well as his detailed knowledge of the Caucasus and Central Asia, Stan was always ready to help businessmen avoid the pitfalls of new endeavors in Azerbaijan or to resolve the problems endemic to business activity in a former Soviet economy. Ably supported by his popular and active wife Jaye, he quickly established a reputation and a productive track record as one ambassador who is dedicated to the success of American business abroad. Together they became and remain strong and effective supporters of USACC and AMCHAM.
Long a believer in the future of Azerbaijan and the outstanding opportunities available to the careful and well-advised investor, Stan is one advisor who put his money and his life where is mouth is. He retired in November, 2000, after almost 34 years of service with the American government. Within weeks demand for his knowledge and contacts brought him back to Azerbaijan as a consultant for such companies as British American Tobacco and as a member of the board of Central Asia Energy/Karasu Operating Company, the local arm of Moncrief Oil International. Many other clients sought his services and, by mid-summer 2001, Stan was spending more time in Baku than in America. At the urging of several clients he and Jaye agreed to return permanently and, by the end of August, Stan was back in Baku setting up a branch office of Shield Bearer. Jaye joined him in October. Their older son Alex already lived in Baku, working in import-export and, with the arrival in December of their younger son Benjamin, also engaged in import-export, the Escudero family was reunited in Azerbaijan.
Born in 1942 in Daytona Beach, Florida, Stan is a graduate of the University of Florida. He entered the American Foreign Service in 1967 -- he and Jaye were married that same year. In a career focused principally on Central and South Asia, Stan became a skilled navigator of the Washington labyrinth as well as a consummate regional expert. He and Jaye served in Pakistan (1967-68), Niger (1968-70), Iran (1971-75) Iran again (in an exciting 1978-79 undercover operation during the Iranian revolution), India (1984-87), as Political Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of Central Command (Marine Gen. George Christ and Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf 1987-89), and Egypt (1990-92). In the latter year he was named the first ever American ambassador to the newly independent Republic of Tajikistan, a dangerous 1992-95 assignment during which he and his staff became the only U.S. embassy ever to be evacuated under fire inside Russian armor. He followed Tajikistan with a posting as ambassador to neighboring Uzbekistan (1995-97) before coming to Azerbaijan. At the time of his retirement in 2000, Stan was the only American diplomat ever to serve three ambassadorships in the nations of the former Soviet Union, making him the senior official of the government of the United States most experienced in this region.
A well-known public speaker and author of numerous magazine
and press articles on Azerbaijan, Stan lives and maintains offices at 74 Teymur
Aliyev Street, Ganglik, Baku. He can be reached by landline at 9-9412-906-406,
mobile at 994-50-348-9476 or 994-50-223-3562, via fax at 9-9412-906-324 or by
e-mail at shieldbearer1@msn.com.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/sescudero.htm
**
Nader Fahm
Born in Tehran, Iran in 1953, Mr. Fahm arrived in the US from Switzerland in 1972 to further pursue his studies. Majoring in Civil Engineering, he attended Menlo College and University of California, Berkeley, and went to the University of San Francisco for his MBA.
In 1980, he started Alfanco Inc., a Houston based real estate development company specializing in high rise office buildings. The sixty two story landmark heritage plaza building in downtown Houston presently the Texaco building being one of Alfanco’s projects. In 1994, he formed Alfacom, a telecom consulting firm representing several major Telecom Companies in the Middle East.
Mr. Fahm resides presently in Houston, Texas.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/nfahm.htm
**
Andrew Fawthorp
Mr. Andrew L. Fawthrop is Vice President of New Ventures for Unocal Corporation responsible for the West Caspian and Middle East.
Mr. Fawthrop graduated from the University of London in 1973 with a bachelors of science degree in Geology and Chemistry and in 1974 with a Masters Degree in Marine Geology.
In 1974 Mr. Fawthrop joined Texaco and worked in the USA on domestic projects in Alaska, California and in the International Division on exploration projects in Africa. He then transferred back to England and worked on the North Sea Exploration and Production.
After three years he joined Unocal in 1977. He has held various positions of increasing responsibility around the world including, Area Geophysicist in China, District Geophysicist in Egypt, Exploration and Development Manager in Indonesia, Chief Geophysicist in the Los Angeles Corporate office, General Manager of Exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, General Manager of Exploration for the Americas and New Ventures Manager for China.
During his tenure with Unocal, he has had the opportunity to live and work in London, Los Angeles, Houston, Cairo, Egypt and Balikpapan, Indonesia.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/afawthrop.htm
**
General Manager, International Government Relations, ChevronTexaco
US-Ukraine Business Council – advisor
**
David J. Sambrooks, 43, serves as Vice President and General Manager - International Division for Devon Energy Corporation. Prior to the merger with Devon, Mr. Sambrooks served as General Manager of International Business Development and Western Hemisphere Production for Santa Fe Snyder Corporation. Mr. Sambrooks began his professional career in 1980 with Sun Exploration and Production Company (later Oryx Energy) and held positions of increasing responsibility before joining Santa Fe Energy Resources in 1990. During his 10-year tenure with Santa Fe, Mr. Sambrooks held progressive positions in engineering and management covering South Texas, Offshore Gulf of Mexico, and beginning in 1993, International. Mr. Sambrooks received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin and an M.B.A. from the Executive Program at the University of Houston.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/dsambrooks.htm
**
Gregory K. Williams is a Security Manager, for The Coca-Cola Company, responsible for managing high-level security issues throughout the Middle East and Africa since joining the Company in August 1999.
Prior to joining the Company Gregory was a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He retired as the Chief of Operations for DEA in June 1999, after twenty-five years of service.
He is a member of the International Chiefs of Police, the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
Gregory received his B.A degree from California State University at Los Angeles and then went on to complete the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration's Basic Agents Academy. To advance his career he attended the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Executive Institute and Boston University School of Management, Leadership Institute. Gregory is married and has two children and lives in Atlanta.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/gwilliams.htm
“The Board of Trustees
offers its recommendations to the USACC Board of Directors on all matters
related to the Chambers programs and activities.”
Abdullah Akyuz
Abdullah Akyuz joined TUSIAD (Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association) in 1999, as the President of TUSIAD's Washington Representative Office (TUSIAD-US Inc.). Mr. Akyuz's area of expertise includes financial markets, capital markets, government debt markets, international financial markets, asset management and corporate finance.
Between 1983-1990, Abdullah Akyuz served on the Capital Markets Board, the Turkish equivalent of the SEC, as an economist. In June 1990, he became the Director of the newly established Bonds and Bills Market of the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE). In this capacity he led the "Bond Market" and "Repo Market" projects which became operational in 1991 and 1993, respectively. In May 1994, Mr. Akyuz became the Executive Vice-Chairman of the ISE. At the time of his departure from the ISE at the end of 1998, he was leading the operations of four departments: equity market, bonds and bills market, derivatives market and membership. Mr. Akyuz has also served as a Board Member of the ISE-Settlement and Custody Bank, Inc., as well as a member of the Undersecretariat of Treasury's "Domestic Borrowing Advisory Board".
Mr. Abdullah Akyuz was born in 1960 in Kayseri, Turkey and is a graduate of Galatasaray High School. Mr. Akyuz holds a B.A. degree in Economics and Finance from the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Ankara (1983), an M.A. degree in Economics from the University of California-Davis (1986), and is a graduate of Wharton School's Advanced Management Program (1996). He has conducted extensive research in his field, and has over 15 publications.
He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife Sule and their son Yigit.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/aakyuz.htm
**
Ilham
Aliyev
Born in Azerbaijan in 1961, Mr. Aliyev, son of the current President of Azerbaijan, is Vice President of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). He graduated from Moscow University with a degree in International Affairs and a Master's Degree in History. Mr. Aliyev taught at the university from 1985 until 1990 following graduation when he then became a private entrepreneur in his native country. He is in charge of Foreign Economic Relations for SOCAR as well as being one of the principal negotiators for all agreements.
Mr. Aliyev is married and has two daughters and a son.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/ialiyev.htm
**
Graham Allison is the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at Harvard University and Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. In the first term of the Clinton Administration, Dr. Allison served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy and Plans where he coordinated DOD strategy and policy towards Russia, Ukraine, and the other states of the former Soviet Union.
As Dean from 1977 to 1989, he built Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Under his leadership, a small, undefined program grew twenty-fold to become a major professional school of public policy and government. At the end of his tenure, the School had a faculty of more than 100, 750 full-time graduate students, 700 participants in executive programs, and eight major problem-solving research centers.
Dr. Allison's teaching and research focuses on American foreign policy; defense policy; U.S. relations with Russia, Ukraine, and other newly independent states of the former Soviet Union; and the political economy of transitions to economic and political democracy. Dr. Allison has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books and 100 articles: Realizing Human Rights: Moving from Inspiration to Impact (00); Avoiding Nuclear Anarchy: Containing the Threat of Loose Russian Nuclear Weapons and Fissile Material (1996); Cooperative Denuclearization: From Pledges to Deeds (1993); Beyond Cold War to Trilateral Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region (1992); Rethinking America's Security: Beyond Cold War to a New World Order (1992); and Window of Opportunity: The Grand Bargain for Democracy in the Soviet Union (1991). As Executive Director of the Commission on America's National Interests, he served as principal author of its report, America's National Interests (2000). His first book, Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis (1971), recently released in an updated and revised second edition (1999), ranks among the best-sellers in political science with more than 300,000 copies in print.
Dr. Allison has been an active advisor and consultant to agencies of government, beginning with the Department of Defense in the 1960's. He was Special Advisor to Secretary of Defense Weinberger from 1985-87 and has been a member of the Secretary of Defense's Defense Policy Board for Secretaries Weinberger, Carlucci, Cheney, Aspin, Perry and Cohen. In 1989-90, he served as Vice Chairman of JCS Chairman Crowe's Planning Committee on Strategy. He has twice been awarded the Defense Department's highest honor for civilians, the Distinguished Public Service Medal.
Dr. Allison was a founding member of the Trilateral Commission, a Director of the Council on Foreign Relations, and has been a member of public committees and commissions, among them Massachusetts Governor Weld's Task Force on Defense and Technology, the Carnegie Endowment's Commission on Government Renewal, and the Baker-Cutler DOE Task Force on Nonproliferation Programs with Russia.
Dr. Allison has served as a Director of the Getty Oil Company, Nvest, Taubman Centers, Inc., and Belco Oil and Gas, as well as a member of the Advisory Boards of Chase Bank, Hydro-Quebec, and the International Energy Corporation.
Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Allison was educated at Davidson College; Harvard College (B.A., Magna Cum Laude, in History); Oxford University (B.A. and M.A., First Class Honors in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics); and Harvard University (Ph.D. in Political Science). He has received honorary doctorates from Davidson College, Uppsala University (Sweden), and the University of North Carolina.
Dr. Allison and his wife Elisabeth live in Belmont, Massachusetts.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/gallison.htm
**
Kansans re-elected U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, champion of working families, government reform and cultural renewal to a full six- year term in November 1998. First elected to fill the remainder of Senator Bob Dole's term, Brownback was sworn in as Kansas' 32nd U.S. Senator on November 26, 1996.
In the 107th Congress, Brownback serves on four key committees: the Committee on Foreign Relations; the Committee on the Judiciary; the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and the Joint Economic Committee.
In 1997, Senator Brownback sponsored S. 1344; The Silk Road Strategy Act to target assistance to support the economic and political independence of the countries of South Caucasus and Central Asia. The bill also provided presidential authority to waive section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. The Bill was later adopted as an amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill, but the presidential waiver authority was removed by a close vote. Senator Brownback argued strenuously to retain the waiver authority, but Senators McConnell, Sarbanes, and others prevailed.
After September 11, 2002, Senator Brownback again renewed his efforts to secure a waiver for Section 907. Working closely with the Administration and colleagues who shared his views, his efforts prevailed on the FY2002 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill in December. On January 25, 2002 the President exercised his authority and for the first time waived Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act.
Senator Brownback is Co-Chairman of the Silk Road Caucus along with his House Colleage from Pennsylvania, Joe Pitts. Senator Mary Landrieu from Louisiana is the Democratic Co-Cochairperson of the group.
As the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, Brownback has also taken an active role in developing U.S. foreign policy concerning India, Pakistan, and Iraq. Brownback also forcefully advocates for trade policy supporting U.S. agriculture exports in the international marketplace.
Brownback is the ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration. He is co-chair of the Senate Cancer Coalition, co- chair of the Congressional Wireless Caucus, and member of Senate Republican High Tech Task Force.
Prior to his election to the Senate, Brownback served one term as a U.S. Congressman representing the Second District of Kansas. Sam Brownback grew up on the family farm near Parker, Kansas, where he still owns farmland. Brownback received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University, and a law degree from the University of Kansas. While at K-State, he was elected student body president and served as state president and as a national officer of the Future Farmers of America.
Through his career, Brownback has worked as an administrator, broadcaster, attorney, teacher, and author. As secretary of agriculture for the state of Kansas, Brownback developed innovative programs, which significantly reduced public expenditures and expanded markets for Kansas products. Brownback is the co- author of two books and numerous articles. He and his wife Mary have five children, Abby, Andy, Liz, Mark, and Jenna, and live in Topeka.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/sbrownback.htm
**
In 1963, Mr.Henke was employed by the First National Bank and Trust Company of Tulsa as a financial analyst. In 1967, he joined Fourth National Bank of Tulsa to assist in the formation of the newly chartered Trust Department and shortly thereafter was selected to head the Trust operation. In 1971, he was elected Director of the bank and in 1973 was elected President of Fourth National Corporation, the parent holding company of Fourth National Bank.
In 1978, he was named Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and held the position until 1982 when he was elected Director of American Bank and Trust Co. and named Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.
In 1983, Mr. Henke was elected as Director of Utica National Bank & Trust Company, and was named Chairman of the Executive Committee. In 1984, he was elected Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Utica Bankshares Corporation and Utica National Bank and Trust Company.
In 1988, Mr. Henke was named Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Banks of Mid-America, Inc., at the time the largest bank holding company in the state of Oklahoma, and was also elected to the Board of Directors of Liberty National Bank & Trust Company of Oklahoma and The First National Bank and Trust Company of Tulsa. Mr. Henke led the effort to recapitalize Banks of Mid-America. In October 1988, the recapitalization was completed with $75 million infusion of new capital.
In January 1990, Mr. Henke resigned his position with Banks of Mid- America and was re-elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Bank and Trust Co., the position he now holds.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/fhenke.htm
**
Mr. Moncrief is a third generation principal in Moncrief Oil, a family owned exploration and production company with headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, and is the owner of Moncrief Oil International, Inc. Mr. Moncrief has served on the Board of Directors of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the JP Morgan Chase Bank of Texas, and is a member of the All-American Wildcatters. He holds a Bachelor's of Scince degree in Petroleum from the University of Texas.
Mr. Moncrief serves on the Board of Trustees at the Amon Carter Museum, the William A. and Elizabeth B. Moncrief Foundation. He is a General Partner in Moncrief Europe and Asia Holdings Partnership. He also serves as a Chairman of Central Asia Energy Company.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/rmoncrief.htm
**
Hafiz M. Pashayev is the first ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States. He assumed his official duties in February 1993, and presented his credentials to President Clinton on April 14, 1993.
Since assuming his post, a primary focus of Ambassador Pashayev's activities has been to educate Americans about Azerbaijan's successful efforts to institute democratic and free market reforms while solidifying its independence. He has worked to promote settlement of the conflict with Armenia, to secure humanitarian relief for the 1 million refugees in Azerbaijan. He also promoted development of Azerbaijan's extensive energy resources.
Ambassador Pashayev has had articles published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Boston Globe. In addition, he has spoken before many foreign policy think tanks, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Central Asia Institute of the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University, Middle East Studies Association, the Washington, Nashville, Tampa, Birmingham and Los Angeles chapters of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Woodrow Wilson Center, the Institute for Peace, and the Washington, D.C. Bar Association's International Law Committee. Ambassador Pashayev has also lectured at numerous colleges and universities including the University of Michigan, Mount Holyoke College, George Mason University, and the University of California.
Prior to his appointment as ambassador, Dr. Pashayev taught physics at Baku State University and served as Director of the Metal Physics Laboratory in the Institute of Physics at the Academy of Sciences in Azerbaijan. In 1984, he was named full professor at the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.
Ambassador Pashayev received his degree in physics from Baku State University in 1963, and his Ph.D. in solid state physics in 1971 from the Institute of Atomic Energy in Moscow. From 1975 to 1976, he undertook research at the University of California at Irvine. He is the author of more than 100 scientific articles and books, and speaks Azerbaijani, Russian, Turkish, and English.
He is married and has two children. His wife, Dr. Rena Pashayev, is a scholar and professor of Arabic literature and history.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/hpashayev.htm
**
Joe Pitts was first elected to Congress in 1996, and is serving his third term. He replaced Congressman Bob Walker. He represents Pennsylvania's 16th district which includes most of Lancaster County and part of Chester County, ranging east from the Dutch Country through the small towns and spreading suburbs of greater Philadelphia.
He Co-Chairs the Silk Road Caucus with Senator Sam Brownback. The Caucus seeks to promote Central Asia and the Caucasus in Congress. "I've been to Central Asia and the Caucasus and have seen the enormous potential of these countries," said Congressman Pitts. "America needs to reach out to them and welcome them into the family of nations. Economic prosperity, the growth of democracy, and the establishment of the rule of law in these states is essential for regional stability and U.S. national security. The Silk Road nations also lay in an energy rich region and its natural resources are for the most part untapped. The people are hungry for democracy and economic prosperity, and there is a great desire to work with the U.S. and have a U.S. presence in the region. The current war on terrorism has shown us the strategic importance of the region as well."
Congressman Pitts serves on the International Relations Committee and two if its subcommittees; International Operations and Human Rights, as well as Middle East and South Asia.
Congressman Pitts grew up in Kentucky, joined the Air Force after college, served three tours of duty and flew 116 B-52 combat missions in Vietnam. He then became a math and science teacher and later owned a nursery. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House in 1972. In 1989 he became chairman of the Appropriations Committee, where he went to great lengths to balance the budget.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/jpitts.htm
**
Born: June 4, 1922 - Montreal, Canada
Education: Princeton University, New Jersey, BA 1945
Interests: Reading, Shooting, Farming
Military: 1st Lt., U.S. Army - WWII Served in the Philippines and Japan
BUSINESS CAREER: (One organization only - now known as AIG)
1947 - 1959 American International Underwriters Overseas in executive positions in Europe and Middle East.
1960 to Present C.V. Starr Organization - New York. Vice President & Director
1960 - 1969 Director of Operations for AIU, Europe
1967 to Present AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP, INC. - Director
1969 - 1975 President - AIU U.S./OVERSEAS
1975 - 1989 Chairman and CEO - AIU
1976 - 1989 Executive V.P., Foreign General - AIG, INC.
1989 to Present Vice Chairman, External Affairs AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP, INC.
DIRECTOR:
The Adams Express Company
Petroleum & Resource Corporation
International Research & Exchange Board (IREX)
Institute of EastWest Studies (IEWS)
TRUSTEE:
The Starr Foundation
The Juilliard School
The Corcoran Gallery of Art
Trinity University
MEMBER:
Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Ethic Accord (PER)
U.S. - Russia Business Council
CHAIRMAN:
International Insurance Advisory Council of the Chamber of Commerce of the U.S. (1977-79)
Polish-U.S. Economic Council, U.S. Section (1980-86) and (1996 - present) now A.B.A.T.E. Hungarian-U.S. Business Council, U.S. Section (1986-92) now A.B.A.T.E.
Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) (1990 to 1996) Vice-Chairman (1997 to present)
Corporate Council for the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) (June 1991-1996)
COMMISSIONER:
In the CSIS "U.S.-EU Poland Action Commission" (August 1991 to present)
CSIS-U.S.-Romania Action Commission (1997 to present)
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/jroberts.htm
**
Stephen Robertson is President of Bertling Logistics, Inc. and is based in Houston. Before joining Bertling in 2000 Mr. Robertson worked in various international locations including two years in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Mr. Robertson has over 20 years experience in supply chain and materials management, which he gained in the oil and gas industry. He has worked at various posts around the world with several premier companies including Chevron, Lasmo, Azerbaijan International Oil Company (AIOC) and Sun Oil.
Mr. Robertson is also on the Board of Trustees for the United States - Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) and continues to make visits to the CIS, including Azerbaijan. He was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1959 and is married with three children.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/srobertson.htm
**
Wachovia Bank, Vice President: Multilateral Institutions
http://www.firstunion.com/international/inbc_amer.html
**
Frank Verrastro currently serves as a Senior Policy Advisor at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. His practice at the firm includes domestic and international energy projects, public policy and government affairs and trade, defense and foreign relations items. Prior to joining V & E, Mr. Verrastro held a variety of positions in both the government and the private sector. Most recently, he served as an international energy consultant and Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland.
Before starting his own consulting firm, Frank had a distinguished career at Pennzoil Company from 1983-2000, most recently holding the position of Senior Vice President and member of the company's Executive Committee. He was responsible for the company's federal state, and international legislative and regulatory activity as well as corporate policy development on a variety of energy, tax, environment, trade and securities issues. He also served on the company's upstream and downstream operating committees, the international negotiations team (Caspian energy projects), and the Environmental, Safety, and Health Leadership Council.
Prior to joining Pennzoil, he served as Director of Refinery Policy and Crude Oil Planning for the TOSCO Corporation. His government responsibilities included policy positions in the White House, the Department of Interior and Energy, where he held a variety of policy and international affairs positions, including Deputy Assistant Secretary.
Mr. Verrastro received his bachelor's degree from Fairfield University and masters from Harvard University. He also attended the Executive Management Program at Yale University's Graduate School of Business and Management. He has lectured at the Kennedy School at Harvard, the University of Maryland, the American University and the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. He has been a Senior Fellow at the James M. Burns Academy for Leadership at the University of Maryland and a frequent presenter/participant at the Foreign Service Institute and Meridian House International.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/fverrastro.htm
Ted Jonas is of counsel in the International Trade and Investment group in the Washington office of Baker Botts. Mr. Jonas has significant experience in the former Soviet Union, particularly the Caucasus and Central Asia regions. He advises clients on oil and gas production and transportation projects, privatization of state property, international dispute resolution, and local law compliance issues. He has represented both multilateral and U.S. government financial institutions in loan and equity investments in the Caspian region across numerous sectors, including banking, manufacturing, and transportation. Since joining Baker Botts in January 2000, Mr. Jonas has also represented international clients on bilateral trade relations with the United States and a multilateral financial institution on its treaty relations with one of the Caspian Basin states.
Mr. Jonas received his J.D. cum laude from Cornell Law School in 1991 where he was Articles Editor of the Cornell International Law Journal, and his B.A. from Cornell in 1984. After graduation he clerked for Judge Joseph W. Hatchett of the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. In addition to his experience as a lawyer, Mr. Jonas worked for four years as a legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives (1984-1988) and is fluent in Georgian and French.
Mr. Jonas is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the State of Georgia.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/tjonas.htm
**
Mr. Mattison has specialized in international banking, relationship management and client development since 1995. As a vice president in the International Department of Riggs Bank in Washington, D.C., Mr. Mattison is responsible for managing Riggs' Eurasian Group, which handles the banking and investment needs of embassies and diplomats of more than 25 of Washington's foreign missions.
Prior to becoming vice president of the Eurasian Group, Mr. Mattison served as executive assistant to the chairman of Riggs Bank in a special two-year assignment. As assistant to the chairman, he managed the day-to-day responsibilities of the chairman's office and traveled with the chairman reinforcing relationships around the world.
Mr. Mattison studied political science at Davidson College with special coursework at Moscow Aviation Institute in Russia, and he attended graduate school in CIS and Central European Studies at Georgetown University.
In his spare time, he enjoys flying airplanes, sailing and spending time with his wife, Ashley.
http://www.usacc.org/chamber/kmattison.htm
**
Seymour
Khalilov
BISNIS Commercial Assistant
(“Business Information Services for the Newly Independent States”: http://www.bisnis.doc.gov/ )
ACDI/VOCA
Agip
AJG Investments
Amerada Hess
American International Group
American-Turkish Council
Assembly of Turkish American Associations
Aviation Leasing Group
AZEL
Azerbaijan International
AzEuroTel
Baker Botts, LLP
Baker & McKenzie
Bertling Logistics
Boeing Company
BP
Chevron
Coca-Cola
Conoco
Devon Energy
Ernst & Young
ExxonMobil
Eurasia Foundation
Halliburton Company
Hyatt Regency
McDermott
Metromedia Int'l Telecommunications
Moncrief Oil International
Motorola
Omni Communications
Petroleum Finance Company
Philip Morris
Phillips Petroleum Company
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Puma Energy
Riggs National Bank, N.A.
Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn
Shell EP Int'l. Ventures
Sikorsky Aircraft
Solar Turbines
Squire, Sanders and Dempsey LLP
Surfers LLC
Tatrimex Ltd.
Unocal
Vertex Corporation
American Bar Association
Dec 2000: “Director on Trans Caucasian region, American Bar Association (ABA - CEELI)”
http://www.constitutional-court-az.org/archive.htm
Based in Washington – possible address: RDobrov@abaceeli.org
Attorney/Program Manager, CLPD
“The greeting and introduction concerning the realization of the intellectual property rights according to TRIPS Agreement will be made by Ion Daniliuc, Deputy General Director of AGEPI and Mrs. Regina Dobrov, Program Manager.” […] “For three days the AGEPI will be the host of an important manifestation that will start on September 12, 2001. This is seminar is organized due to the close collaboration between AGEPI with the USA Department of Commerce within the framework of the CLDP Program, collaboration which materialized by organizing in Republic of Moldova of seminars designed for specialists from different organizations that are in charge of protecting the industrial property rights.”
http://www.agepi.md/right_pages/eng/left_menu/arhiv/CLDP_in_Moldova.html
“Ms. Regina Dobrov, CLDP Project Manager, USA, the sponsoring organization of this seminar, emphasized that the objective of organizing this event was to give practical tips on how the RM should develop an adequate policy with the accession of other countries to the WTO. The next round of negotiations within the WTO will start soon, and the Republic of Moldova will have its debut on the international arena as a new WTO member. The organizers of the seminar hope that the RM will individualize itself abroad, and will participate continuously and forward adequately its requests, complaints and suggestions only to the benefit of the country.”
http://www.iatp.md/er/nr31/en/art06.htm
“An example of our strength from this worldwide network is the cooperative Communication Leadership Development Program (CLDP) with the Lockheed Martin Corporation.For the CLDP program, Lockheed Martin will choose about five students who will graduate this year for an intensive two-year training program in public relations. The graduates who are hired are rotated through several LM businesses and public relations programs to prepare them for a career in communication management with the company.”
http://www.comm.umd.edu/graduate/public_relations.html
**
Vahid Kooros
OXUS Energy, HQ: Houston, TX
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Marion Rifkind
Founder & President, Universe Translation
“Universe Technical Translation, Inc., is a leading Full Service language company dedicated to providing Technical Expertise for multi-lingual business communication for over 20 years.”
http://www.universetranslation.com/
**
Jack Grynberg
President . Gynberg Petroleum
“Denver oil magnate” who “owns upwards of 800 wells in the Rocky Mountain region.”
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/1999/12/20/story6.html
**
Kenneth Culotta
Lawyer, King & Spalding
Ken Culotta is a partner in King & Spalding's Houston office concentrating on cross- border business and investment transactions worldwide. He is a member of the International, Latin America and Energy Industries Practice Groups. Mr. Culotta is fluent in Spanish and German, and has working knowledge of French.
Mr. Culotta is experienced in assisting clients in both domestic and international transactional work, from mergers and acquisitions to infrastructure projects and other direct investments. His work includes transaction structuring and drafting and negotiation of core transaction documents. Mr. Culotta devotes substantial time to advising both U.S. and non-U.S. clients concerning the impact of U.S. trade laws and regulations on their international business, such as export controls, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, antiboycott rules and trade sanctions. Mr. Culotta serves clients in such diverse industries as:
oil and gas, oil field services, electric energy, beverages, information services, software, petrochemicals, vehicle manufacturing
In recent years, Mr. Culotta has concentrated particularly on natural resource and energy infrastructure projects in the United States, Latin America and the former Soviet Union.
Representative Transactions
A Texas-based natural gas transportation company in structuring and documenting its participation in two gas transportation pipeline projects in Mexico, and obtaining related permits.
Pennzoil Company in its participation in the "Contract of the Century," the first private upstream oil and gas development in Azerbaijan in modern times.
Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), first in its structuring and formation, and subsequently in the negotiation and documentation of its "early oil" pipeline project, including the first private firm export oil transport agreement in modern history.
Atlantic Richfield Company in the structuring, negotiation and documentation of the acquisition, and later disposition, of its interest in the $3.5 billion Hamaca Project, an integrated extra heavy crude oil association in the Orinoco belt of Venezuela.
A major U.S. pipeline operator in its negotiations to participate in a heavy oil pipeline venture in Ecuador.
Battle Mountain Gold Company in the structuring, negotiation and documentation of the acquisition of its controlling interest in the Kori Kollo mine, Bolivia's most significant gold deposit.
Luz y Fuerza de San Lorenzo, S.A. in the development and financing of a 40MW distillate-fired turbine power plant in Honduras.
A manufacturer of power generation equipment in the development of a +400MW gas fired turbine power plant project in New York state showcasing its new technology.
CAES Development Company, developer of a compressed air energy storage power generation project to be located in the United States.
Professional Activities
Member, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (1997-present), Member, 2001-2002 Model Form International Joint Operating Revision Committee.
Committee Member, Houston Bar Association/ANADE Monterrey Annual Lawyers Exchange Conference (1993- 1997)
Council member (1990-2001) and past Chairman (1995-96) and Secretary/ Treasurer (1989-90), International Section of Houston Bar Association
Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Houston (1991)
Vice Chairman, International Resources Committee of American Bar Association Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law (1989 - 1995)
Chairman, Planning Committee, South Texas College of Law 1998 International Practice Conference on Infrastructure Development in Emerging Markets
Speaking Engagements
International Bar Association’s Section on Energy and Natural Resources Law Conference, "Ownership of Resources Across International Boundaries: The Eternal Triangle from a Texas Perspective," April 1992
Houston Bar Association/Monterrey Lawyers 1993 Exchange Program, "Status of the NAFTA: Current Issues Within the U.S. Legal Framework," May 21, 1993
Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute, "Forma Cinco? Getting the Benefits of Form 5 in Latin American Mining Ventures," July 20, 1993
Houston/Mexico Trade Conference for Emerging Businesses, Houston Bar Association Workshop - Forms of Doing Business in Mexico, January 14, 1994
Dallas Bar Association International Law Section Seminar - Rediscovering Latin America - "Mistakes and Misconceptions," January 18, 1994
Fourteenth U.S.-Mexico Border State Attorneys General Conference - Legal Relationships Along the Border: Status and Perspectives, September 1995
Houston Chapter of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, International Business Forum - "Structuring International Joint Ventures," December 12, 1995
Expecting the Unexpected: The United States Investor Ventures to Venezuela - "Recent Developments in the Venezuelan Oil Sector," May 2, 1996
Fuel Strategies for Power Generation in Latin America Seminar - "Strategies for Securing Fuel Supply Contracts in Latin America," November 18, 1996
Houston Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Committee Seminar - "International Law: Representing Your Client Abroad", August 1, 1997
Hart’s Executive Focus on the Oil Industry in Venezuela Conference - "Decoding Venezuelan Legal and Other Regulatory Critical Issues: A Texas Lawyer’s Perspective," February 17, 1998
State Bar of Texas 14th Annual International Law Institute Conference - "Refreshing the Boilerplate - Part 1 - The Memorandum of Understanding or How to Keep Your MOU from Becoming an IOU," February 22, 2002
Education
University of Texas (B.A. with special honors, 1979, J.D. 1985). Member, Review of Litigation
Albert Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, Germany (DAAD Fellow 1980-81)