(New York, N.Y.) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) today announced the addition of the former U.S. Department of State Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan A. Sales to its Advisory Board.
“We are honored to have Ambassador Sales join the advisory board,” said CEP CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace. “He brings vast experience, knowledge, and expertise to the issues central to our organization and we look forward to his insights on how to best counter the challenges and threats that confront the United States and its allies.”
“Ambassador Sales’ understanding of the complex and ever-changing nature of the extremist threat to public safety is exceptional,” said CEP President and former U.S. Homeland Security Advisor Frances F. Townsend. “It will be a great privilege to work with him to help make CEP’s programs and initiates stronger and more effective.”
Ambassador Sales was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Coordinator for Counterterrorism on August 3, 2017, and he served in that role until January 2021. He also served concurrently as Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights (acting) and as Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
In his role at the State Department, Ambassador Sales played an integral role in developing and implementing the landmark 2017 U.N. Security Council Resolution 2396 on terrorist travel, and he successfully pressed NATO to make counterterrorism a central mission of the Alliance. He oversaw U.S. efforts to combat international white supremacist terrorism and led diplomatic engagements to persuade a dozen key partners in Europe and the Americas to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
“CEP is an indispensable source of expert analysis that policymakers rely on when developing strategies to address the evolving threat of extremism,” said Ambassador Sales. “CEP’s work was essential reading for my team and me at the State Department, and I am thrilled to join the organization and help its efforts to build a more secure future.”