Luke Zahner is a senior fellow with the National Security and International Policy department at American Progress, where his work focuses on trans-Atlantic relations, international development, and the geopolitical dynamics between Ukraine and Russia.
Zahner served for more than 20 years as a U.S. Foreign Service officer with the Department of State, with postings across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Iraq, Madagascar, and Bangladesh. During this time, he built deep expertise in post-conflict reconstruction, institutional strengthening, and economic recovery in fragile and conflict-affected states.
Most recently, Zahner served as senior adviser to former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker in her role as President Joe Biden’s special representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery. In that capacity, he coordinated closely with international partners to strengthen key elements of Ukraine’s recovery architecture and led the design of a multinational project preparation facility to support the development of bankable investment projects.
Previously, Zahner served as a senior foreign policy adviser in the office of former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, where he advanced interagency coordination on U.S. assistance in Europe and Asia and helped design and implement a technical assistance initiative supporting Ukraine’s recovery and infrastructure priorities. Earlier in his career, he served as a spokesperson at the U.S. Agency for International Development, contributing to public communications and crisis response efforts following the 9/11 attacks and the U.S. interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Zahner developed a specialization in the Balkans, having spent seven years working there for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, including as part of its first postwar mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and later in helping design the organization’s presence in Kosovo. His last overseas assignment with the State Department was 2019–2021 as counselor for public affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Skopje, North Macedonia.
In addition to his role at American Progress, Zahner serves as a senior adviser to Deloitte’s Future of Ukraine Initiative, senior adviser for business development at Binda Consulting International, and a member of the advisory board for Alinea International’s Recovery for All project in Ukraine. He holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, an MBA from The George Washington University, and a bachelor’s degree from American University.