WASHINGTON—The U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, today announced the appointment of three Executive Branch Commissioners to the Commission. CSCE welcomed Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Donet Dominic Graves, Jr., and Department of State Coordinator for Global Democratic Renewal and Senior Official for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Erin Barclay as the first executive branch officials appointed to the Commission in over seven years.

“We are excited to welcome Assistant Secretary Wallander, Deputy Secretary Graves, and Coordinator for Democratic Renewal and Senior Official Barclay to the Commission,” said Chairman Wilson and Co-Chairman Cardin. “We are currently facing a historic inflection point, with Russia waging an unprecedented and brutal war against Ukraine and global authoritarian actors working together to create a world that is hostile to democracies. There has never been a more critical time for these leaders to be advocating for CSCE’s core mission of promoting security, human rights and fundamental freedoms, and economic cooperation in the OSCE region and beyond.”

Each of the three new Executive Branch Commissioners brings with them a wealth of experience and knowledge that will make them valued members of the Commission.

Celeste Wallander is Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy at the U.S. Department of Defense.  As Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Dr. Wallander is advancing European integration of the Western Balkans and Caucasus and leading the Secretary of Defense’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group.  She previously served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia/Central Asia on the National Security Council (2013-2017) and as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia (2009 to July 2012). As Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia/Central Asia at the National Security Council, Dr. Wallander led the new post-2014 Russia strategy; the United States’ counter-Russia actions in response to the 2014-2016 invasion of Ukraine; and the Central Asia C5+1 initiative in 2016. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, Dr. Wallander led security assistance for Georgia Armed Forces contribution to International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from 2009-2013.  She was the primary Department of Defense representative to OSCE Summits and arms control agreements review conferences.

Donet Dominic Graves, Jr., Deputy Secretary of Commerce, brings decades of experience in the private sector, government, and nonprofits to the Department of Commerce. Most recently, he served as Counselor to President Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. Prior to that, Graves served as Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Responsibility and Community Relations at KeyBank. In this role, Graves led KeyBank’s corporate responsibility team, including the bank’s $16.5 billion National Community Benefits Plan, the bank’s sustainability work, stakeholder engagement, and outreach, and oversaw the KeyBank Foundation and the First Niagara Foundation. During the Obama-Biden Administration, Graves served as Counselor and Domestic and Economic Policy Director for then-Vice President Biden. He was previously appointed by President Barack Obama as Executive Director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and led the federal government’s efforts in the economic recovery of the city of Detroit. Graves also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Small Business, Community Development, and Housing Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he oversaw the CDFI Fund, the $4 billion Small Business Lending Fund, and the $1.5 billion State Small Business Credit Initiative. He was also the U.S. Federal Representative to the G7 Task Force on Social Impact Investment.

Erin Barclay, Department of State Coordinator for Global Democratic Renewal and Senior Official for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, is a career member of the Senior Executive Service.  Prior to these positions, Ms. Barclay served in senior positions in the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, and the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations.  She is the recipient of the 2021 President Rank Award, the 2020 F. Allen “Tex” Harris Human Rights Diplomacy Award from the United Nations Association of the National Capitol Region, and numerous State Department performance awards.  Prior to joining the Department, Ms. Barclay was the Executive Director of the Network of East West Women, a non-profit organization that promotes women’s human rights in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.  Ms. Barclay has been an adjunct professor of international women’s human rights at Georgetown University Law Center and George Mason University. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton and the University at Buffalo School of Law, and is an attorney admitted in New York State and the District of Columbia.