Brzezinski, Mark – Republic of Poland – August 2021

REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

UNITED STATES SENATE

SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service Act, Section 304(a)(4)

POST:                  Republic of Poland

CANDIDATE:     Mark Brzezinski

Mark Brzezinski is founder and principal of Brzezinski Strategies LLC. Previously, he was Managing Director at Makena Capital Management, where he led the firm’s sustainable and ESG investing efforts and assisted in responding to the growing demand for environmentally and socially responsible investment portfolios. Prior to Makena, Mr. Brzezinski served as the first Executive Director of the White House’s Arctic Executive Steering Committee and before that was the United States Ambassador to Sweden. He is also the author of The Struggle for Constitutionalism in Poland.”  His extensive experience in international affairs, his demonstrated leadership abilities, and effectiveness in innovatively advancing new policy initiatives make him well-qualified to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Poland.

Before joining the Obama administration, Mr. Brzezinski was a partner. at McGuireWoods LLP in Washington, D.C., where he helped build the law firm’s international compliance practice. From 1999 to 2001, he served on President Clinton’s National Security Council staff, first as a Director for Russia and Eurasia, and then as a Director for the Balkans. He is a member of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission.

Mr. Brzezinski received a BA from Dartmouth College, a JD from the University of Virginia, and a PhD in Political Science from Oxford University. He was awarded the Royal Order of the Polar Star by the King of Sweden, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Award for Excellence, and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.  He was a Fulbright Scholar in Poland between 1991-1993.