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November 21, 2008

 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today announced that Dr. Mark T. Esper has been named Vice President, Europe and Eurasia. Esper, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and senior Congressional Staffer, will also continue in his capacity as Executive Vice President of the U.S. Chamber’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC). 

 

“Mark adds strong leadership and a wealth of experience to the Chamber given his wide-ranging service in the Congress, Executive Branch, and private sector,” said Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber. “As the U.S. Chamber continues to grow and deepen its worldwide engagement, Mark’s leadership will be critical.”

 

Dr. Esper served as Executive Vice President at the Washington-based Aerospace Industries Association of America, and as Chief of Staff at The Heritage Foundation. His extensive government experience includes tenures as Director of National Security Affairs in the Office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in OSD Policy at the Pentagon; and as a Senior Staffer on the House Armed Services Committee, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, and in the Office of Sen. Chuck Hagel. Esper is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and earned a Master’s Degree at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and his Ph.D. at The George Washington University. Esper is also a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and decorated veteran from his service in the 1990-91 Gulf War, and currently serves part-time as a Commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

 

LTG (Ret.) Dan Christman, senior vice president of the International Division at the U.S. Chamber, added that “Europe and Eurasia are critical partners for America, our workers, and our businesses, and we’re pleased to have a proven leader at the top in this effort.” 

 

David Hirschmann, President and CEO of the Chamber’s GIPC remarked that “Mark’s concurrent assignment as both VP for Europe and Eurasia and EVP of the GIPC also marks a major step forward in our campaign to strengthen intellectual property protection around the globe, by aiding his ability to better integrate our IP-related activities in Europe’s key capitals and multilateral forums.”

 

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

 

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