Judyt Mandel

Judyt Mandel has had a varied career as a Foreign Service officer, educator, editor and consultant for business development in the private sector. For 28 years she was Foreign Service Officer whose tours of duty included London and Moscow. where she was the Deputy Political Counselor responsible for managing the establishment of diplomatic relations and embassies in the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Ms. Mandel served for five years on the staff of the National Security Council, where she was Director for Arms Control and Defense Programs. Her responsibilities included implementation of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and nonproliferation matters. 

Her other assignments include teaching and directing the Russian and Eurasian Area Studies program at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center and teaching political science and international relations at the National Defense University’s Army College of Industrial Affairs. Her areas of expertise include Russian domestic and international politics, Russia’s relations with the states of the Former Soviet Union, arms control and non-proliferation. She also developed and implemented a program of diplomatic training for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan through Georgetown University. 

From 2002 to 2009, she was a consultant for Business Development for URS Corporation (previously Washington Group International). In that capacity, she spearheaded the division’s global business development strategy to pursue opportunities on three continents: Europe and Eurasia, Southeast Asia and Australia and New Zealand in three market sectors: Threat Reduction (Nunn-Lugar Programs); Defense Infrastructure Services; and Homeland Security Services as part of a $400-million-plus business unit that managed and executed projects and programs under contracts to the Departments of Defense and State as well as related commercial interests. 

Since 2020, Ms Mandel has pursued independent research and editing in English and French. 

Specialties: US foreign policy and relations with Russia and the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union, Russian domestic and foreign affairs, arms control and non-proliferation, public affairs, public-private initiatives.

Languages: French, Russian, Italian, Yiddish