Maurice Sonnenberg
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Maurice Sonnenberg has served as an outside advisor to five Presidential Administrations in the areas of international trade, finance, international relations, intelligence, and foreign election monitoring.


Biography


Education

Sonnenberg is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (B.S.), Georgetown Law Center, and New York University International Law (M.S.). He served in the D.C. Air National Guard from 1959 to 1962 and the U.S. Air Force Reserve.


Politics

Sonnenberg began his career, while at Georgetown University, as an aide to Senator
William Proxmire Edward William Proxmire (November 11, 1915 – December 15, 2005) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senate, United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1957 ...
of Wisconsin, who later headed the Senate Banking Committee,Panay Gupte, 'Maurice Sonnenberg: A Concerned Optimist', in ''
The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative Online newspaper, news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) onlin ...
'', March 23, 200

/ref> having previously worked for the
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
-
Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...
Presidential campaign as director of special projects. From 1983-93 he was Chairman of the Democratic House & Senate Council. Among his Senate co-chairs at the time were Sen. George Mitchel, Sen. Joseph Biden, Sen. Bob Graham, Sen. John Kerry, and Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV. Among the House co-chairs were current Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer and former Congressman Robert G. Torricelli.


Intelligence and Foreign Policy

In 1994 and 1995, he served as a member of the
Moynihan Commission on Government Secrecy The Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy, also called the Moynihan Commission, after its chairman, U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, was a bipartisan statutory commission in the United States. It was created under Title IX o ...
, and in 1996 as the Senior Advisor to the U.S. Commission on the Roles and Capabilities of the U.S. Intelligence Community. spin–Brown Commission He was a member of the
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board The President's Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) is an advisory body to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. According to its self-description, it "provides advice to the President concerning the quality and adequacy o ...
under President Bill Clinton for 8 years.Clinton archives biography
/ref>Loch K. Johnson, ''Strategic Intelligence: Understanding the Hidden Side of Government'', Praeger Publishers, 2006, p. 25

/ref> In 2000, he served as Vice-Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism.Steven Aftergood, 'The Sonnenberg Phenomenon', on
Federation of American Scientists The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is an American nonprofit global policy think tank with the stated intent of using science and scientific analysis to attempt to make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by a group of scient ...
blog, November 18th, 201

/ref>Terrorist Financing
/ref> According to Sonnenberg, 28 of the 33 recommendations from the report made it to the USA Patriot Act. He has claimed the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
could have been prevented if all the recommendations had been implemented. In 2002, he was a member of the Task Force Report No. 40 of the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
called ''Terrorist Financing''. In 2012-14, he served as co-Chairman of the National Commission for the Review of the Research and Development Programs for the Intelligence Community. He has also served as an Official U.S. Observer at elections in Latin America. This includes multiple elections in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Mexico. He was appointed by the Congress and Administration for these tasks. He serves on the Board of Advisors of the Chertoff Group, headed by
Michael Chertoff Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security to serve under President George W. Bush. Chertoff also served for one additional day under President Barack Obama. ...
.(Former Secretary of Homeland Security)Chertoff Group appointment
/ref> Sonnenberg has served as a foreign policy adviser to various presidential administrations, including: * 2021: Commission on Geopolitical Impacts of New Technology & Data - Atlantic Council * 2019: Trans National Threats Project - CSIS * 2012-2014: Co-Chairman, National Commission for the Review of the Research and Development Programs of the U.S. Intelligence Community * 2012: Official Observer, Mexican Federal Election Commission * 2011: Southwest Border Task Force, Department of Homeland Security * 2008-2015: Secretary of the Navy Panel Advisory Board * 2007-2010: Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council * 2006: Official Observer Team, Mexican Federal Election Commission * 2004-2007: White House Advisor, Central American Free Trade Agreement and Colombian Free Trade Agreement * 2003-2004: Co-Chair, National Commission for the Review of Research and Development Programs of the U. S. Intelligence Community * 2002: Counter Terrorism Advisory Board, New York City Police Department * 2001-2002: Terrorism Task Force, Council on Foreign Relations * 2001-2002: Roundtable on Terrorism, Council on Foreign Relations * 2000: U.S. Presidential Delegation to Inauguration of President Vicente Fox of Mexico * 1999-2000: U.S. National Commission on Terrorism, Vice-Chairman * 1998: U.S. Presidential Delegation to Inauguration of President Miguel Rodriguez of Costa Rica * 1995-1997: Commissioner, U.S. Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy * 1995-1996: Senior Advisor, U.S. Commission on the Roles and Capabilities of the U.S. Intelligence Community * 1994: U.S. Presidential Delegation to the Inauguration of President Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico * 1994: U.S. Observer Team, Mexican elections, NDI/IRI/Carter Center * 1994: Official U.S. Observer Team, El Salvador elections * 1993-2001: President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board * 1991-1992: White House Advisor, Enterprise of the Americas Initiative ("Brady Bill") * 1990: Election Observer, Nicaragua, Council of Freely Elected Heads of State * 1989: Official U.S. Observer Team, El Salvador * 1984-1985: Official U.S. Observer Team, El Salvador and Guatemala * 1979-1981: Member, President's Export Council * 1979-1980: Member, The Task Force on International Trade of the White House Conference of Small Business * 1967: Special U.S. Representative, Economic Commission for Europe * 1965-1967: Industrial/Economic Advisor, U.S. Commission on the Status of Puerto Rico Clearance: Three Top Secret SCI (currently expired)


Finance and Law

Sonnenberg has worked at the investment banking firms
Bear Stearns The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. was an American investment bank, securities trading, and brokerage firm that failed in 2008 during the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession. After its closure it was subsequently sold to JPMorgan Chas ...
,
J.P. Morgan JP may refer to: Arts and media * ''JP'' (album), 2001, by American singer Jesse Powell * ''Jp'' (magazine), an American Jeep magazine * '' Jönköpings-Posten'', a Swedish newspaper * Judas Priest, an English heavy metal band * ''Jurassic Pa ...
, and Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette, and at the law firms Hunton & Williams, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and with Guggenheim Securities as Senior International Advisor. He was a Senior Advisor at Advanced Metallurgical Group, N.V.


Awards and Affiliations

*Encyclopedia Brittanica (NY) - Board of Directors *Council on Foreign Relations (NY) - Member *Atlantic Council (Washington DC)- Geo-Tech Commission - Member *Center for Strategic & International Studies (Washington DC)- The Trans National Threat Project - Member *Llewellyn Family Foundation - (NY) Co-Founder, Board of Directors *Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs (NY)- Former Member *Business Executives for National Security (Washington DC)- Former Member *Foreign Policy Association (NY) - Former Board of Governors and Vice Chairman, Board of Directors (1985-2000) *Americas Society (NY)- Member *Council of the Americas (NY)- Member *Mexican Cultural Institute (NY) - Former Board of Advisors *Gazette International Networking Institute (St. Louis) - Board of Directors, Emeritus *Post Polio Health International Board of Honor - (St. Louis) - Board Member *Harlem Educational Activities Fund (NY) - Founder 1990, Board of Directors, Emeritus *Institute of East-West dynamics (NY) - Former Board of Directors (1989-1993) *US- Mexico Society (Washington DC) - Former Board of Directors, Secretary-Treasurer (1991-1994) *Humanitarian Foundation for Nicaragua (NY) - Former Board of Directors (1990-1994) *Georgetown University (Washington DC) - Board of Regents (1982-1991, three terms) *Pro Democracy for Central America, PRODEMCA - Member (1984-1989) *Screen Actors Guild - Member Sonnenberg was awarded Order of the Mexican Eagle (Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca) in 2000 by President Ernesto Zedillo. The award was presented by the Administration of President Fox. In addition, Maurice Sonnenberg has appeared on television and published articles on intelligence, political, foreign affairs, trade issues, and American history. He has been a public speaker in the U.S. and abroad on economics, intelligence & counter-terrorism, political and foreign relations. He has also testified before Congress on some of these subjects.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonnenberg, Maurice Living people American bankers Clinton administration personnel People associated with Hunton Andrews Kurth Year of birth missing (living people)