Mr. Lebedev currently holds a portfolio which spans business, government and philanthropy. He serves as Chairman of the publicly funded Center for International Private Enterprise, one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy, whose mission is to promote free market institutions in emerging economies throughout the world. He is also a Senior Advisor at a number of organizations – to the President and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, the largest business federation in the world; to the Robertson Foundation for Government, a private family fund which supports talented men and women wishing to pursue governmental careers in national security and international affairs; and, to the Potomac Research Group LLC, an independent equity research firm. Mr. Lebedev regularly advises on business strategy and international affairs, and undertakes special projects involving trade, development and global corporate governance. In 2008, he was President George W. Bush’s nominee to be US Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform.
Before these assignments, Mr. Lebedev served as President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), where he represented the domestic and international interests of the $1.7 trillion global chemical and plastics industry. Prior to the ACC, Mr. Lebedev held a unique portfolio at the United States Chamber of Commerce. During his nearly five years of service, he was the Chamber’s COO and Executive Vice President for International Policy and National Security Affairs. In addition to running day-to-day operations, he was Managing Director of the Chamber’s public policy think tank, the National Chamber Foundation, and President of the Center for Corporate Citizenship, a governance and philanthropic resource of the business community.
Earlier, Mr. Lebedev was a Senior Partner of The Hay Group, then one of the largest international management consulting firms, after which he joined the American Trucking Associations where he was Senior Vice President and CFO and acting-CEO. Following the first Gulf War he directed projects associated with the reconstruction of Kuwait; and, was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to be Inspector General of the Department of Defense. He also held a number of senior governmental assignments. President Gerald Ford appointed him to the State Department post of Assistant Inspector General of Foreign Assistance/Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. Before that, he served in the Bureau for Security and Consular Affairs and was one of Henry Kissinger’s youngest Deputy Assistant Secretaries. Prior to his State Department tour, he was Deputy Special Assistant to the President of the United States at the White House.
Mr. Lebedev earned a Juris Doctor degree from the School of Law of the University of South Dakota, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the same university. He is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia; he serves on a number of boards, including the US Chamber of Commerce; and, he is married and has a eight-year-old daughter.
