David A. Merkel, M.Sc.

Adjunct Faculty of International Studies

Professor David A. Merkel is an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston, where he teaches Great Power Competition. He also serves on the Faculty of the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, and was visiting faculty at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) in the Geopolitics of Energy and US Foreign Policy.

Mr. Merkel serves as President of the Advisory Board of the Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies at Arizona State University, is the founding member of the Board of Trustees of Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan and was a member of the board of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies Social Science Foundation at the University of Denver, all roles he served in pro bono.

He is the Chairman and CEO of Summit International Advisors, LLC.

He was appointed by President George W. Bush as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, responsible for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Black Sea regional policy, and regional nonproliferation issues. He also served as Director for Europe and Eurasia and as Director for South and Central Asian Affairs on the National Security Council in the White House.

Mr. Merkel held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, worked as the International Counselor to the Chairman at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and was Senior Professional Staff for Europe and Eurasia on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Earlier, he was Senior Foreign and Defense Policy Advisor for the United States House of Representatives Policy Committee.

He served at the International Institute for Strategic Studies as an Associate Fellow for Geo-economics and Strategy and has previously held positions as a non-resident Senior Fellow with Johns Hopkins SAIS and the Atlantic Council. He has provided expertise to multiple organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the National Democratic Institute, and the International Republican Institute. Mr. Merkel provided electoral assistance and served as an international election observer in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. He was Director for the Eurasia Foundation and also worked as an election analyst for the Joint Election Observation Mission in Tajikistan.

Mr. Merkel is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). He was awarded the NATO Star by the President of Lithuania and received the Exceptional Service Award for his work at the U.S. Treasury Department. He holds a a M.Sc. with Merit in International Strategy and Diplomacy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).