Summit International Advisors
Advice when decisions are made at the highest levels
Ms. Sechler Merkel was Associate Director in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs for President George H.W. Bush, and Regional Director for Eastern and Central Europe at the International Republican Institute. She served as PAC Director for Congressman Jim Kolbe, Associate Director of Surrogates, Bush/Quayle ’92, Coordinator of Volunteers at the 1988 Republican National Convention and Director of Volunteers for Public Liaison for the 1989 Presidential Inaugural.
She founded Sechler Merkel International to provide strategic advice to companies and foundations focused on projects in the U.S., Bulgaria, Slovakia and Russia in the early 2000’s. In 2009-2011 she lived in Malmo, Sweden with her husband and children.
Ms. Sechler Merkel holds a degree in Public Policy, with distinction, from Stanford University and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She serves as the Chair of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations, and as an Advisory Board member of the Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian and East European studies at ASU. She was appointed as Co-chair of the Arizona Human Trafficking Council by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and served in that capacity under Governor Katie Hobbs. Appointed by Mayor Kate Gallego, she serves on the City of Phoenix Human Trafficking Task Force.
Previously, Mr. Merkel held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Mr. Merkel also worked as International Counselor to the Chairman at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
David A. Merkel served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as Senior Professional Staff for Europe and Eurasia. Earlier, Mr. Merkel was Senior Foreign and Defense Policy Advisor for the United States House of Representatives Policy Committee.
Most recently, he served at the International Institute for Strategic Studies as an Associate Fellow for Geo-economics and Strategy. He has previously held positions as a Senior Fellow with Johns Hopkins SAIS and the Atlantic Council. David A. Merkel is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). He was awarded the NATO Star by the President of Lithuania and received the Exceptional Service Award for his work at the U.S. Department of Treasury.
David A. Merkel has provided expertise to multiple political and government organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the National Democratic Institute, and the International Republican Institute. Mr. Merkel provided electoral assistance and served as an international election observer in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.
Mr. Merkel was Director for the Eurasia Foundation and also worked as an election analyst for the Joint Election Observation Mission in Tajikistan.
Mr. Merkel is a founding pro-bono member of the Board of Trustees of Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan and a member of the board of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies Social Science Foundation at the University of Denver, and President of the Advisory Board of the Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies at Arizona State University. He was a visiting faculty member at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, specializing in the geopolitics of energy.
Mr. Merkel received a B.B.A. in Economics and from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a M.Sc. with Merit in International Strategy and Diplomacy.
David A. Merkel is a regular contributor to publications including The National Interest, The Hill, The Jerusalem Post, and Modern Diplomacy.
See David A. Merkel's published work at his website: https://david-merkel.com/press/
David A. Merkel is the CEO and Chairman of Summit International Advisors, LLC. He is a geo-strategist and former U.S. government official. He is an expert on Europe and Eurasia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
David A. Merkel held senior positions in government in the White House, Department of State and Treasury, both Houses of Congress, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In 2008, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. In this position he was responsible for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Black Sea regional policy, and regional nonproliferation issues.
He also served as Director for Europe and Eurasia and as Director for South and Central Asian Affairs at the National Security Council in the White House.
Claire Sechler Merkel - President
David A. Merkel - CEO & Chairman
Claire Sechler Merkel is President of Summit International Advisors, where she provides geo-strategic advice to companies and funds.
Ms. Sechler Merkel served as the Director of Arizona Initiatives and Senior Director of Arizona Programs for the McCain Institute at Arizona State University from it’s creation in 2013 until 2023, leading the Institute’s Arizona work in combatting human trafficking along with promoting Senator McCain’s legacy of human rights and democracy and character driven leadership in international affairs.
She served as Director of Friends and Family and Chief of Staff to Mrs. Cindy McCain during the 2008 Presidential election campaign, and worked for McCain for President 2000. Previously, she served as Legislative Assistant and Special Assistant to U.S. Senator John McCain and Campaign Coordinator for John McCain’s first U.S. Senate Campaign.