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Directors

Jan Smilek

Jan grew up in Jesenik, Czech Republic. Shortly after the Velvet Revolution, Jan joined Prague’s office of Price Waterhouse as one of the first local employees. He worked on multiple privatization projects and the first ever international audits of Czech and Slovak financial institutions. He later transferred to the U.S. and worked in PWC’s offices in Miami and Washington, D.C.

Jordon Sims

Jordon has served in a wide variety of roles across government, specifically where both industry and government intersect. Jordon served as a nuclear trained submarine officer in the U.S. Navy. In this capacity, he held several unique positions beyond his operational roles as foreign liaison to the Chief of Naval Operations, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of Defense. He also was selected as a Defense Legislative Fellow, serving as a defense advisor on the personal staff of a senior Member of the U.S.

Michelle Olson

Michelle du Pont Olson is a native Washingtonian. She attended Duke University where she received a BA in political science and an MBA in marketing. For a time, she worked for large corporations including RJR Nabisco and Comcast until she started creating her own brand of jewelry, Michelle du Pont Inc. in 1997. Her jewelry line, which she manufactured by hand, branded, and distributed, was sold nationwide at Saks Fifth Avenue stores for over 10 years.

Roger Kodat

Mr. Kodat is founder and Principal of the Kodat Group LLC, a financial and strategic consulting company located in Northern Virginia.  In recent years, he has led more than a dozen consulting projects focusing on federal agency strategic planning and transformation for the National Academy of Public Administration, a congressionally-chartered think tank in Washington, DC.  His financial experience includes 20 years of international commercial and investment banking at JPMorganChase and its predecessor banks, focusing on Central and Eastern Europe.

Alexander Braun

Alex is an award-winning strategist specializing in research-based consulting. He has provided counsel to presidents, prime ministers and other high level political clients in more than 70 campaigns around the globe. His clients include presidents in Ukraine, Mexico and the Philippines and prime ministers in the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovenia. In addition to polling, Alex typically advises on campaign strategy and management, messaging, targeting and field organizing.
 

John F. Kotouc

A native Nebraskan, John Kotouc graduated from Omaha Westside High School and thereafter Harvard University (AB) with post graduate studies at Westminster (BD), University of Nebraska Law School (JD), and YPO Executive Education at Stanford Business School.

Mr. Kotouc is a third-generation banker.  He is Executive Chairman of American National Bank, Omaha, a board member of Western Bank, Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of parent American National Corporation, a $2.5 billion regional banking company with operations in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.

Richard W. Graber

AFoCR Director:  Ambassador Richard W. Graber served as United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic from September 2006 until January 2009.  As Ambassador, he was responsible for all matters affecting the United States in the Czech Republic and for maintaining and strengthening the historically friendly relationship between the countries.

Norman L. Eisen

Ambassador (ret.) Norman Eisen is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, a CNN political commentator, and the chair of the government watchdog group CREW, which he co-founded in 2003. Eisen served from 2009 to 2011 in the White House as special counsel and special assistant to the president for ethics and government reform. Following his White House service, Eisen was the U.S.

Richard F. Schubert

AFoCR Director Dick Schubert has served in leadership positions in law, business, government and the non-profit sector.  He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Executive Coaching Network, and Washington Representative and founding board member of Management & Training Corporation.

In addition, he serves as Chairman Emeritus of the International Youth Foundation, Vice Chairman and founding board member of the Drucker Foundation and Vice Chairman and founding board member of the Josephson Institute of Ethics.

Fritz L. Duda

Fritz L. Duda is chief executive officer of Genus Holdings, LLC, a Dallas-based investment company and founder and owner of the Fritz Duda Company, a privately held real estate development company with offices in Dallas, Texas, Newport Beach, California, and Chicago, Illinois. 

Mr. Duda has served on the boards of a number of private and public companies.  He was a founding investor and director of HMI Acquisitions and, subsequently, The Vons Companies, Inc. from 1985 to 1997 when the company was merged with Safeway. 

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