Ambassador David Killion
Board Chairman
David Killion is a former U.S. government official and diplomat and a Capitol Hill veteran. Killion was nominated by President Obama to serve as U.S. Permanent Representative with the Rank of Ambassador to the the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France in 2009. After Senate confirmation, Killion served as U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO until 2014. After returning from Paris, Killion served as the first bi-partisan Chief of Staff of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) in Washington D.C., from 2014-2018, after having been jointly appointed by Commission Chairman, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Ranking Member, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS). Prior to his appointment as Ambassador to UNESCO, from 2001-2009, Killion served as a Senior Professional Staff Member of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. In that position, Killion was the Committee expert on State Department Operations, International Organizations, and International Education. From 1996-2001, Killion was a Clinton Administration appointee at the U.S. Department of State, serving as a Senior Legislative Management Officer. From 1994-1996 he served as a Legislative Assistant to Congressman David Skaggs (D-CO). Ambassador Killion holds a BA from Wesleyan University in Middletown CT and and MA from the University of California at Los Angeles. Killion moved to Santa Fe in 2018 and works as a Foreign Affairs Consultant.