Board of Directors 2020-2021

Dr. Emile Nakhleh was a Senior Intelligence Service officer and Director of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program at the Central Intelligence Agency. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Research Professor and Director of the Global and National Security Policy Institute at the University of New Mexico, and the author of A Necessary Engagement: Reinventing America’s Relations with the Muslim World and Bahrain: Political Development in a Modernizing State. He has written extensively on Middle East politics, political Islam, radical Sunni ideologies, and terrorism. Emile received his BA in Political Science from St. John’s University (MN), the MA in Political Science from Georgetown University, and the Ph.D. in International Relations from the American University.

Greg has broad military, US defense industry and congressional experience. He served as Army General Staff political-military staff officer and US Senate Budget Committee international programs professional staff. He is currently adjunct staff for the RAND Corporation and enrolled as a PhD candidate in International Relations at the University of New Mexico.

United States District Court Judge for the District of New Mexico. Appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to serve on the Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct. Deputy Attorney General, State of New Mexico. Law clerk to US Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, Jr.

Dennis Sterosky joined Burt & Company CPAs, LLC in 2017 and is a Tax Professional at the firm. His responsibilities include tax planning and review for corporate, individual and non-profit entities. Dennis has been a practicing CPA for over 52 years, with extensive experience in corporate taxation, mediation and business tax consulting. He earned his BBA, concentration in Accounting, as well as his law degree at the University of Notre Dame. Dennis was also an adjunct tax instructor at the Anderson School of Management, University of New Mexico.

Ambassador Itoh is a Senior Advisor to McLarty Associates and Professor of the Practice in the Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his career as a Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Itoh served in the U.S. Embassy in London and as the U.S. Consul General to Western Australia in Perth. He was Deputy Executive Secretary of the Department of State, and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council at the White House 1993-1995. From 1995-1999 he served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand. He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and served in the U.S. Air Force as a Logistics officer. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Business Advisor working in construction contracting for the Department of Defense. Extensive academic background in accounting systems, audits, individual and corporate taxation, and professional writing. Graduated with Master of Accounting degree University of New Mexico May 2019. Study Abroad, International Management studies, 2015–2016 Fachhochschule Joanneum (Graz, Austria).

Lt. Col (ret) USAF, financial management positions at bases in US, Spain, Germany, Thailand, Turkey. Chief of Finance, US House of Representatives (ret). Participated in New Mexico-based import agency representing several European manufacturers.

Former Staff Director, Committee on Education and Labor, US House of Representatives. Former New Mexico State Director, Senator Jeff Bingaman, US Senate. Analyst, US Central Intelligence Agency.

Manager, Sandia National Laboratories’ Mechanical Systems and Design; nuclear material security projects at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and DOE National Nuclear Security Administration; arms control projects including on-site implementation of INF Treaty in the former Soviet Union.

Principal Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories.
Munaf works in the Strategic Futures and Policy Analysis Department under the Office of the Chief Engineer for Nuclear Weapons. In this role Munaf supports executive decision-making through quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. Relevant projects have included: leading and supporting workshops to better understand uncertainties and potential futures in the areas of non-proliferation, deterrence, information, innovation, and Earth systems; supporting Sandia’s National Security Speaker Series; and anticipatory studies in information advantage and changing space policy. In previous posts Munaf led and supported analyses for various U.S. agencies in a variety of national security areas including critical infrastructure protection, conflict, and defense. Munaf received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in computational modeling from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

USAF (ret.)  Air Force assignments included:  Navigator, Route Briefing officer, Computer Systems Analysis, Instructor at Department of Defense Computer Institute, and Chief of computer Center at Defense Nuclear Agency Field Command.  After Air Force retirement became Chairman of Computer Systems Department
at Amarillo College.

Kathleen founded her own firm in 2000 to focus on the prevention and early resolution of employment related disputes and to serve as a mediator and arbitrator. She retired in 2013. 1977-2000: She was a partner in two law firms where she represented clients in litigation and appeals in federal and state courts.

Currently she is a household manager, community volunteer, student, gardener, and traveler.

JD Univ. of NM; BA Univ. of ILL.

Lesley served for over 30 years with the Department of State Office of Medical Service with overseas assignments in Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa. She taught nursing at the University of Montana and the University of New Mexico and currently serves as a volunteer with numerous community organizations including the Foreign Service Retiree Group and 10 year member of the World Affairs Council of Albuquerque.

Attorney in private practice. Of counsel with the Firm of Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin & Robb, P.A.

Treasurer of the Albuquerque Committee on Foreign Relations 2015-2020 and on its Board of Directors since 2013. He originally joined the Committee as a student member while attending the University of New Mexico. Marshall is a Business Services Officer with Nusenda Credit Union, where he has worked for over 10 years. He received an MBA summa cum laude with a focus in Strategic Planning and Leadership and a BBA in Accounting and Organizational Management, both from the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management. He also holds an associate degree from Central New Mexico Community College.

Public education leadership positions in suburban Chicago, Illinois and New Mexico. Founder, East Mountain High School (Charter); Chair, EMHS Governing Council. 2012 East Mountain Outstanding Citizen recipient. Experienced in organizational restructuring, administration, supervision and leadership.