Dr. Thomas de Maizière (1989 ACG Young Leader) has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2009. In addition, he has served in various roles at both the state and federal levels including Federal Minister and Head of Federal Chancellery of Germany (2005-2009); Federal Minister of the Interior (2009-2011; 2013-2018); and Federal Minister of Defense (2011-2013); as well as Minister of State of Justice of Saxony (2002-2004) and Minister of State of the Interior of Saxony (2004-2005). He currently serves as a member of the County Executive Committee of CDU Meißen, a member of the National Executive Committee of CDU Germany; a member of the Executive Committee of CDU Germany; Chairman of the National Committee Saxony of the CDU/CSU- Parliamentary Group; and a member at Finance Committee of the German Bundestag. He has been a member of the Christian Democratic Union since 1971.
After completing his schooling and compulsory military service, he studied law and history from 1974 to 1979 in Münster and Freiburg. After passing the first state examination in law and completing the required period of practical in-service training, he completed his law degree with the second state examination, which he then followed with a doctorate in 1986. From 1985 to 1989, he worked in der Berlin Senate Chancellery as a speechwriter and head of the basic policy matters section, and later on as press spokesman for the Christian Democratic parliamentary group in the Berlin Chamber of Deputies. In 1990, he was invited by his cousin, Lothar de Maizière, to work as an adviser on the staff of the last government of East Germany.
Dr. A. Wess Mitchell (2008-2010 ACG Multilateral Young Leader) served as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs from 2017 to 2019. In this role, he was responsible for diplomatic relations with the 50 countries of Europe and Eurasia, as well as the institutions of NATO, the EU, and OSCE. At the State Department, he played a principal role in formulating Europe strategy in support of the 2017 National Security Strategy, led the Interagency in building instruments to counter Russian and Chinese influence in Europe, and spearheaded new diplomatic initiatives for Central Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Western Balkans.
Prior to joining the State Department, Dr. Mitchell cofounded and served as President and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). He is the author of numerous articles and reports that have been translated into a dozen languages and appeared in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, American Interest, National Interest, Orbis, and Internationale Politik. He is the author of three books, including most recently Unquiet Frontier: Rising Rivals, Vulnerable Allies and the Crisis of American Power (with Jakub J. Grygiel) and The Grand Strategy of the Habsburg Empire (Princeton University Press, 2018).
Dr. Mitchell holds a doctorate in political science from the Otto Suhr Institut für Politikwissenschaft at Freie Universität in Berlin, a master’s degree from the Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he was awarded the 2004 Hopper Award, and a bachelor’s degree in history from Texas Tech University.
