Nerissa J. Cook

Ms. Nerissa J. Cook is a member of the U.S. Senior Executive Service and currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. She specializes in national security, global issues, and emerging democracies. Her current portfolio covers United Nations technical agencies, multilateral economic and development issues, and UNESCO.

Prior to joining the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Ms. Cook served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. From 2001-2009, Ms. Cook served as Director of the Office of Policy and Global Issues in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the Department of State. In that capacity, she was responsible for policy formulation and government oversight of global issues (including human rights, counterterrorism, environment, health and United Nations affairs) as they pertain to Europe and Eurasia; strategic planning; and outreach to critical constituencies, including the Congress, nongovernmental organizations, and diaspora groups.

From 1995-2000, she served as the Department’s Coordinator of Vice Presidential commissions with Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Ms. Cook has also served at the Department in the Office of Russian Affairs and the Office of Independent States and Commonwealth Affairs and with the Bureau of Finance and Management Policy. She has been a senior systems analyst with Jaycor and IRT Corporations, a contingency planner with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and an international trade specialist with the Department of Commerce.

Ms. Cook holds a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics and a Master of Arts degree from Queen Mary College, University of London. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maryland and is a former national Vice President of the American Friends of the London School of Economics.