Alexander (Sandy) Vershbow has just completed a three year assignment as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea. He served at a critical period in U.S.-ROK relations—the last years of the Roh Moo-hyun administration and the first seven months of the Lee Myung-bak administration. He has participated in and witnessed the transformation of U.S. policy toward North Korea, the successful KORUS FTA negotiations, and the decision to transfer Wartime OPCON by 2012. On December 5, 2008, Ambassador Vershbow offered his on-the-record perspective on the U.S.-ROK relationship during his tenure and described his thoughts on what lies ahead following the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.

Alexander Vershbow served as Ambassador to the Republic of Korea from October 2005 to September 2008, his final assignment in a career with the U.S. Foreign Service spanning 32 years. During his career, he won numerous awards and honors, including the State Department’s Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement (2007) and Distinguished Service Award (2001); the Defense Department's Joseph J. Kruzel Award (1997); the American Bar Association's Ambassador’s Award (2004); and the Anatoly Sharansky Freedom Award of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews (1990). A long-time expert on Russia, East-West relations, non-proliferation and European security affairs, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2001-2005) and U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1998-2001). In Moscow, he worked to promote U.S.-Russian cooperation in the areas of counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation, and was a consistent advocate for democracy, human rights, and rule of law. At NATO, he was centrally involved in NATO’s post-Cold War transformation, including the admission of new members, NATO-Russia relations, and NATO's campaign to end the conflict in Kosovo. In the mid-1990s, Mr. Vershbow served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council. Prior assignments include Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO, Director of the State Department's Office of Soviet Union Affairs, and Advisor to the U.S. Delegation to the Strategic Arms Reductions Talks. He received a B.A. in Russian and East European Studies from Yale University and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Columbia University.