Ambassador David Pressman joins American Progress as a senior fellow focusing on transatlantic security policy and countering authoritarianism. He is an American diplomat, attorney, and strategist who served most recently as U.S. ambassador to Hungary. In this capacity, he led U.S. diplomacy with a challenging ally during the war in Ukraine, successfully leading efforts to lift Hungary’s veto on a range of issues including multiple sanctions packages targeting Russia, the opening of European Union accession talks with Ukraine, and NATO’s historic expansion to include Sweden and Finland.
Previously, he served as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Security Council, where he was the senior U.S. negotiator on international disputes around the world. Prior to his service as ambassador, he served as assistant secretary of homeland security.
Ambassador Pressman has worked for four members of the U.S. Cabinet under three presidents. At the White House, as the director for war crimes and atrocities on the National Security Council, his work led to the first presidential directives banning human rights abusers from entering the United States and to the creation of a body for the early prevention of mass atrocities. His work also led to creation of the first White House body devoted to finding and bringing international war criminals to justice and mobilizing U.S. efforts that led to the first U.N. resolution in history recognizing LGBTQ rights as human rights.
In private practice as a national security and human rights litigator, Ambassador Pressman represents clients in existential disputes with governments and strongmen, including hostages held overseas and victims of terrorism.
He co-founded the human rights organization Not on Our Watch and launched and led the Clooney Foundation for Justice, transforming it from a concept into a results-driven global platform advancing accountability and human rights. Ambassador Pressman began his government service as an aide to Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and a law degree from New York University School of Law.