Major Fellowship Activities: Slesar worked on the development and practical implementation of the LAWS export control project entitled “Lawmaking for Security: Export Control Development in the NIS.” This project aims to assist the newly independent and Baltic states in their effort to create national export controls based on international non-proliferation and export control norms. He assisted a LAWS senior analyst in developing a trip report to Latvia and Ukraine, which was published and distributed among U.S. officials, export control experts, think tanks, and foundations. He also interacted with senior export control officials from the NIS and Baltic States, as well as private U.S. lawyers and experts working in the field of international security and export controls.
Current Activities: Slesar is a Senior Advisor to The Scowcroft Group where he advises clients on energy and infrastructure development projects in Russia and other CIS countries. Working as an in-country member of the Scowcroft Group team, he provides due diligence, business and political risk assessment services as well as general business support for client efforts in the region. He was previously Vice President for International Operations of Thorium Power at Thorium Power where he worked on the company’s strategic planning and business development and was the main business liaison between Thorium Power and its international associates, particularly in Russia. From the completion of his Fellowship in 1994 until 2001, Slesar worked at the Lawyers Alliance for World Security (LAWS) as a Senior Program Associate and later as LAWS’ Director of Administration. During that time he was in charge of fundraising and management of the LAWS’ main office in Washington, DC. He directed LAWS’ programs in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, China, Japan, South Korea and South Africa. He also managed the implementation of the Lawmaking for Non-Proliferation and Moving Toward Nuclear Disarmament Projects. Since 2001 he has been a member of the board of directors of LAWS.
Without the financial support and assistance from the Scoville Fellowship, it would have been extremely difficult for me to achieve my professional goals and further develop an interest in the field of international security.