Speaker Biographies

Ambassador Carlos Pascual

Coordinator, Office of Reconstruction and Stabilization,
Department of State

Carlos Pascual became the coordinator for the Office of Reconstruction and Stabilization in the U.S. Department of State (S/CRS) in August 2004. S/CRS leads and coordinates U.S. government planning to help stabilize and reconstruct societies in transition from conflict or civil strife so they can reach a sustainable path toward peace, democracy, and a market economy.

Previously, Pascual was the coordinator for U.S. assistance to Europe and Asia. He guided the development of regional and country assistance strategies to promote market-oriented and democratic states and to ensure that U.S. assistance reinforced American interests. He managed the allocation and implementation of $1.1 billion in annual assistance.

Pascual served as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from October 2000 to August 2003. He oversaw U.S. policy focused on promoting reforms critical to Ukraine’s integration with the Euro-Atlantic community. Key priorities included strengthening grassroots democratic initiatives, promoting counterterrorism and nonproliferation, and building a strong private sector.

Pascual was a special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia from July 1998 to January 2000. He advised the president on U.S. policy to advance security interests with Russia and reduce proliferation risks. He guided U.S. policy to encourage Ukraine’s commitment to democratic and market reforms and to address stability, security, and democracy concerns in the Caucasus and Central Asia. From June 1995 to July 1998, Pascual was director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), responsible for U.S. economic policy for Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus.

Prior to his work at the NSC, Pascual worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He served in Sudan (1983–1986), South Africa (1986–1988), Mozambique (1989–1991), and in Washington’s Africa Bureau (1991–1992). He became the director of the Office of Program Analysis and Coordination for the New Independent States Task Force in June 1992, and served as the deputy assistant administrator for Europe and the New Independent States at USAID from February 1994 to June 1995. There he oversaw budget and policy development for USAID’s annual programs of $1.2 billion in the region.

Pascual is a 1980 graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. In 1982 he received a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.