This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Sept. 27, 2013 - Former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a Democrat who lost a 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate, will be headed to Washington -- at least part of the time -- after all.
She has joined Washington-based Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG), a major commercial diplomacy and strategic advisory firm, as a senior director. One of the chairs of the firm is former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright.
Carnahan will be based in St. Louis, a spokesman said.
In a release, the firm praised Carnahan’s “diverse experience in both international business and state-level public and private sector leadership.”
“What makes the Albright Stonebridge team so effective is our deep understanding of the different languages of business, government and civil society – and of diverse countries and cultures,” said Albright in a statement.
“Robin brings another dimension to our team by combining global business experience with many years of leadership at the state level in both public and private sector organizations. Her expertise, network, and insights will add enormous value to the work we do for our clients in every corner of the globe.”
Said Carnahan in a statement: “I am delighted to join ASG's leading international commercial diplomacy practice. I have admired the firm and its leadership for their integrity and breadth of experience and look forward to putting my expertise and understanding of both state and local public policy and the needs of business to work adding value for clients around the globe.”
Carnahan served for eight years as Missouri’s elected secretary of state, in which she was the state’s top elections official – but also the overseer of a number of business-related functions, such as regulating the securities industry. She cites her office’s successful negotiations, under her watch of “record settlements of over $10 billion on behalf of investors.”
Earlier, Carnahan had been a consultant to businesses and politicians. A lawyer, she worked at the Export-Import Bank of the United States and practiced corporate law.
Carnahan also has worked with the National Democratic Institute, a nonpartisan group that promotes democracy and elections overseas, and has traveled to a number of countries as part of teams monitoring elections.
She also is “an inaugural member of the Aspen Institute Rodel Fellows in Public Leadership program.” This fall, she is serving as “a visiting Fellow at the University of Chicago’s nonpartisan Institute of Politics.”
Carnahan received a bachelor’s degree in economics from William Jewell College and obtained her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
