Alumni Spotlight: Michael Greenwald Named Treasury Attaché
This August, Michael Greenwald, who holds a MA (2007) in International Relations from Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies and a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law (2010) will begin his appointment as the U. S. Department of the Treasury Attaché to Qatar and Kuwait. Greenwald will have the mandate of leading the Treasury Department’s efforts to ensure macroeconomic and financial stability in the region.
“Representing the United States in ensuring macroeconomic and financial stability was always a goal for me. It’s exciting and an honor to serve my country in this new capacity in Qatar and Kuwait,” said Greenwald in an interview with the Pardee School. “As a student at BU Law and BU IR [now the Pardee School], I was offered an active learning experience in the fundamentals of the law and international relations, significant internship opportunities, exceptional faculty mentors, and the space to shape my professional identity.”
Greenwald began working for the Treasury Department after completing his Juris Doctor studies in 2010.
“I recommend Pardee School students to take as many internships as possible, so you can learn what you are passionate about pursuing in your career,” Greenwald said. “Once you identify what you’re passionate about, reach out to experts in the field. Establish the narrative of your background – what it is that makes you uniquely qualified to tackle an important issue – and tell that story. For me, working as a financial diplomat was my passion. That’s the thread I followed.”
To facilitate that goal, Greenwald started working at Treasury in 2010.
“I was always passionate about tackling national security threats and protecting the United States financial system from the abuses of terrorist financing and money laundering,” Greenwald said. “Prior to this appointment, I worked for the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, serving in various capacities as the U.S. Treasury Policy Advisor for Europe and as the head of the U.S. delegation to the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism before the Council of Europe. In this role, I advised senior U.S. Treasury officials on all aspects of illicit finance in connection with terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
That work led to his appointment as Attaché to Qatar and Kuwait. His term will last two years, during which time he will live in Doha but will travel frequently in the Middle East. “This is a great opportunity to work closely with our counterparts in Qatar and Kuwait and I am looking forward to begin that work,” he said.
Greenwald is also the Chairman Emeritus of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Next Generation Board in Washington, D.C. He serves on the board of the Public Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan to help the United States’ mission to strengthen the rule of law in Afghanistan. He also serves on the Aspen Institute Vanguard Society of Fellows.