International Development, Mining and Natural Resources Atto
I joined the Foreign Service as a terminal career, after 30 years in the mining, mineral and natural resources field as a career civil servant. I served in many roles with the Department of the Interior and eventually was appointed an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). As an ALJ I adjudicated all types of federal mineral and resource disputes, applyign all the laws and regulations applicable to federal mineral and resource development. In 2023 I resigned my commision as and ALJ and joined the Foreign Service to use the expertise I have in the international arena. I believe that the soft power of international development is how our country maintains influence in uncertain political landscapes and I wanted to use my expertise to enhance our national security and improve the United States’ influence around the world. I believe the United States is more secure when we have strong alliances across the globe.
U.S. Agency for International Development, Central Asia
(appointed)Almaty, Kazakhstan
Responsible for the development and execution of international development agreements throughout Central Asia.
U.S. Department of the Interior
(appointed)
As an ALJ in the Department of the Interior (DOI) I heard cases and adjudicated factual disputes in challenges to DOI agencies’ decisions. DOI decisions involve all types of natural resource issues—from energy-related natural resource matters (onshore and offshore), to wildlife crimes and decisions affecting Native Alaskan allotments. As an ALJ, I managed appeals from pre-hearing conferences, through discovery, pre-hearing briefing, hearing, and then post-hearing briefing. I managed appeals involving matters from a single grazing permit to multi-million-dollar appeals of coal mine regulatory violations.