Mark Wallace

For the Welsh cricketer, see Mark Wallace (cricketer).

Mark D. Wallace is an American businessman, former diplomat and lawyer who has served in a variety of government, political and private sector posts. He served in several positions during the administration of George W. Bush, including as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Representative for UN Management and Reform.

He is currently the CEO of Tigris Financial Group Ltd. (Tigris) and President of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).

Political career

Prior to government service, Wallace was a practicing commercial litigation attorney in Miami, Florida. He began his political career under Florida Governor Jeb Bush and was active in his election campaigns in 1994, 1998 and 2002.^[1]

In 2000 Wallace played a key role working for the Bush-Cheney legal team in the decisive Florida recount in 2000 where he served as counsel to the campaign in Florida and was a spokesman for the legal team in various national media outlets.^[2][3]

During the Bush administration from 1999 to 2003 Wallace served in a variety of federal government general counsel positions. At the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), he oversaw and managed all aspects of the FEMA Office of General Counsel, and acted as counsel to the FEMA-led New York and World Trade Center recovery effort in the wake of the 2001 September 11 attacks. He also served as the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), during the INS’ transition from the DOJ into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 reorganization. After the reorganization Wallace served as the first principal legal advisor to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services for the Department of Homeland Security.^[4]

In 2003, Wallace joined President George W. Bush’s reelection campaign as the deputy campaign manager. In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities of assisting in the management of the national campaign, Wallace was the campaign’s lead liaison to the Republican National Convention, the campaign’s representative in debate negotiations, and led the campaign’s debate team at each of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates.^[4]

UN Ambassadorship

In 2005 President Bush nominated Wallace to serve in the United States Mission to the United Nations as Ambassador, U.S. representative for UN Management and Reform and Alternative Representative of the United States to Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations. The Senate confirmed the appointment in 2006.^[5]

During his tenure as Ambassador to the United Nations, Wallace most notably sought to uncover corruption in UN programs in such places as North Korea and Burma.^[6] He exposed the "Cash for Kim" corruption scandal in North Korea, revealing that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had funneled millions of dollars in hard currency to North Korea with little assurance that North Korea’s dictatorship would use the money to help the North Korean people instead of diverting it to illicit activities like the country’s nuclear program.^[7] Wallace accused the program of being "systematically perverted for the benefit of the Kim Jong Il regime" and the media drew parallels between UNDP’s corruption in North Korea and the Oil-for-Food scandal in Iraq several years earlier.^[8] In September 2010, a UN ruling determined that the whistleblower in the Cash for Kim corruption case had been unjustly fired. The Wall Street Journal wrote the finding "vindicates" Wallace, "who led the charge for transparency at UNDP despite hostility from the media and from Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, and with very little support at the State Department."^[9]

In addition he led the U.S. delegation’s "no" vote against using UN money to pay for the 2009 "Durban II" conference, describing it as "noxious to my country and a disgrace in the International Community."^[10][11] He further opposed the 2008-2009 UN Biennium Budget for its "ad hoc" and "piecemeal" approach that ensured spending increases in the UN general budget that far outpaced the general budget increases of member states.^[10]

While at the UN, Wallace also launched the UN Transparency and Accountability Initiative that focused on eight areas of reform related to member states’ access to UN financial documents, ethics, financial disclosure, oversight mechanisms, IPSAS accounting standards and administrative overhead.^[12]

Upon his departure from the U.S. State Department, The Wall Street Journal editorial board compared Wallace to a list of "distinguished" Americans who tried to make the United Nations live up to its original ideals including Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Jeane Kirkpatrick and John Bolton.^[13] The opinion piece noted that although Wallace was unpopular with some officials who didn’t want to risk their engagement with North Korea over corruption, "he’s the one who had it right."^[13]

2008 U.S. presidential campaign

During the 2008 presidential campaign Wallace was a senior advisor to McCain-Palin 2008 and led the debate preparation team for Governor Sarah Palin.^[14][15] After the debate, The New York Times commented that Ms. Palin's debate performance against Democrat Joe Biden "exceeded expectations in this highly anticipated face-off, though those expectations were low after she had stumbled in recent television interviews."^[16]

Current work

Wallace currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Tigris Group, a New York City-based investment, advisory and asset management firm that focuses on natural resources and the natural resources sector through its related Electrum Group of Companies. In that capacity, he headed the transaction team for Silver Opportunity Partners, to assist with its acquisition of Idaho's historic Sunshine Mine. Regarding that acquisition, Wallace told Bloomberg, "It was no doubt a complicated and risky transaction. Through our expertise, we were able to minimize the risk involved, resolve litigation, and reunite the patchwork and fractured ownership interests that inhibited the mine and limited its value over the last decade.”^[17] Wallace also played a key role in securing the necessary regulatory approvals and community support for Cougar Gold's efforts to explore its claims in eastern California’s Bodie Wilderness Study Area. Wallace spoke for Electrum’s Cougar Gold at a February 2011 meeting in California. There, he explained that additional exploratory drilling in the area cannot occur until the Wilderness Study Area designation is removed.^[18] In an August 2011 Wall Street Journal article, Wallace described the Bodie dispute as “’the tip of the spear’ in a growing national debate over balancing conservation and resource extraction.”^[19]

United Against Nuclear Iran

Wallace also serves as President and Chief Executive of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a bipartisan non-profit organization dedicated to prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons. Wallace founded UANI in 2008 alongside former CIA Director R. James Woolsey, the late Richard Holbrooke and Dennis Ross, who is currently serving in the Obama administration.^[20]

As President of UANI, Wallace has had op-eds published in The Wall Street Journal,^[21] The Washington Times,^[22] the New York Post^[23] and several other national newspapers. Under his leadership, UANI has succeeded in pressuring such multinational corporations as Huntsman, Caterpillar and Ingersoll Rand to end their business dealings in Iran.^[24] The organization’s model legislation has also been incorporated into federal bills, including a measure in the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 which requires companies that do business with the U.S. government to certify that they do not conduct business in Iran.^[25] Additionally, the proposed Iran Transparency and Accountability Act is based on UANI’s model legislation that requires companies to disclosure their business in Iran to the Securities and Exchange Commission.^[26]

Personal life

Wallace attended the University of Miami, where he received both his Bachelor's and law degrees.^[1] He is married to Nicolle Wallace, a novelist and political commentator who served as President George W. Bush’s communications director and was a senior advisor to Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential bid.^[27]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "President George W. Bush-Campaign Organization". Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action. http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/bush/bushorg.html. Retrieved 18 August 2010. 
2. ^ Steven Meyer (14 December 2000). "Florida Dispatch: 36 Days in the Life of a Recount Observer". The American Prospect. http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=florida_dispatch. 
3. ^ Thomas C. Tobin (29 November 2000). "Watchdogs do their own recount in Palm Beach". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimes.com/News/112900/Election2000/Watchdogs_do_their_ow.shtml. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Mark Wallace". United Against Nuclear Iran. http://unitedagainstnucleariran.com/about/leadership/mark-wallace. Retrieved 18 August 2010. 
5. ^ "Presidential Nominations 109th Congress (2005 - 2006): PN1169-109". THOMAS. Library of Congress. 
6. ^ Colum Lynch (31 July 2007). "U.S. Crusader Odd Man Out at the UN". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/30/AR2007073001618.html. 
7. ^ Warren Hoge (29 June 2007). "UN Development Agency Rebuts U.S. Charges of Wasteful Spending in North Korea". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E3DD173EF93AA15755C0A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. 
8. ^ Bay Fang (11 March 2007). "Did UN agency serve as ATM for North Korea?". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-03-11/news/0703110498_1_north-korea-kim-regime-hard-foreign-currency. 
9. ^ "Hooray for the U.N.". The Wall Street Journal. 2 September 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882304575465882341825778.html. Retrieved 2 September 2010. 
10. ^ ^{a b} Mark Wallace (22 December 2007). "Explanation of vote by Ambassador Mark Wallace, United States Ambassador for management reform, on Agenda item 128". United States Mission to the UN. http://www.archive.usun.state.gov/press_releases/20071222_387.html. Retrieved 18 August 2010. 
11. ^ Anne Bayefsky (27 December 2007). "Voting Against Hate". National Review Online. http://article.nationalreview.com/341022/voting-against-hate/anne-bayefsky?page=1. 
12. ^ "U.N agencies’ budgets eyed". The Washington Times. 1 November 2007. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/nov/1/un-agencies-budgets-eyed/print/. 
13. ^ ^{a b} "UN Reformer (Really)". The Wall Street Journal. 1 April 2008. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120701112512978953.html. 
14. ^ Philip Sherwell (27 September 2008). "Vice-presidential debate: Sarah Palin relies on Bush veterans for her big day". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/presidentialdebates/3091724/Vice-presidential-debate-Sarah-Palin-relies-on-Bush-veterans-for-her-big-day.html. 
15. ^ Anne E. Kornblut and Juliet Eilperin (22 September 2008). "Steering the McCain Campaign, a Lot of Old Bush Hands". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/21/AR2008092101608_pf.html. 
16. ^ Patrick Healy (3 October 2008). "Cordial but Pointed, Palin and Biden Face Off". The New York Times: p. A1. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/us/politics/03debate.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all. 
17. ^ Kelly, Jason (August 26, 2010). "Gold's Evangelist". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_36/b4193058839907.htm. 
18. ^ {cite news |first=Wendilyn |last=Grasseschi |title=Cougar Gold says won't mine unless wilderness protection removed, county supervisors divided |work=Mammoth Times |date=February 16, 2011 |url=http://mammothtimes.com/content/cougar-gold-says-wont-mine-unless-wilderness-protection-removed-county-supervisors-divided}}
19. ^ {cite news |first=Justin |last=Scheck |title=Gold fever stirs ghost town |work=Wall Street Journal |date=August 17, 2011 |url=http://mammothtimes.com/content/cougar-gold-says-wont-mine-unless-wilderness-protection-removed-county-supervisors-divided}}
20. ^ Perelman, Marc (September 11, 2008). "Broad-Based Coalition Seeks To Prevent a Nuclear Iran". The Forward. http://www.forward.com/articles/14195/. 
21. ^ Richard Holbrooke, R. James Woolsey, Dennis B. Ross and Mark D. Wallace (22 September 2008). "Everyone Needs to Worry About Iran". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122204266977561331.html. 
22. ^ Mark D. Wallace (20 February 2009). "Reverse ‘oil weapon’ on Iran". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/20/reverse-oil-weapon-on-iran/. 
23. ^ Mark D. Wallace (14 July 2010). "Exposing Iran’s secret enables". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/exposing_iran_secret_enablers_Xb4bsqA24hnmWTm7sfm7NO. 
24. ^ Kris Maher and Jay Solomon (10 March 2010). "Ingersoll Bars Units from Sales to Iran". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704784904575111782579244988.html. 
25. ^ "UANI Applauds Congress for Passing Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Legislation". United Against Nuclear Iran. 24 June 2010. http://unitedagainstnucleariran.com/press-releases/uani-applauds-congress-passing-comprehensive-iran-sanctions-legislation. Retrieved 18 August 2010. 
26. ^ "UANI Applauds Congressman Deutch for Introducing the Iran Transparency and Accountability Act". United Against Nuclear Iran. 23 July 2010. http://unitedagainstnucleariran.com/press-releases/uani-applauds-congressman-deutch-introducing-iran-transparency-and-accountability-act. Retrieved 18 August 2010. 
27. ^ Jonathan Martin (10 September 2008). "Palin team stocked with Bush veterans". Politico. http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=4BA26807-18FE-70B2-A86D5DE7AAE90648. 

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