CERL is pleased to announce that General James E. Cartwright, who served as commander, U.S. Strategic Command, before being nominated and appointed as the eighth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Mark S. Zaid, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney with expertise in such matters as national security and the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts, have joined the Executive Board.

“CERL is delighted to welcome these two new distinguished individuals to our board, each of whom brings significant expertise in national security and the rule of law,” said CERL Faculty Director Claire Finkelstein. “As Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Cartwright advised President Obama on some of the most cutting-edge questions surrounding the ethics of advanced military technology and is a wide-ranging expert in complex questions of contemporary armed conflict. Mark Zaid is a nationally renowned attorney handling sophisticated national security litigation and advising clients on matters of great interest to CERL’s mission, including the publication rights of former government officials subject to prepublication review and legal protection for whistleblowers.”

“I join in welcoming the new board members and expressing appreciation for their willingness to serve,” said CERL Board Chair Morton H. Halperin. “They will greatly enrich the ability of CERL to move its important work forward, and we look forward to partnering with them to advance the many critical issues that CERL addresses.”

The CERL Executive Board is comprised of 23 members and two emeriti drawn from academia, business, the legal profession, the military, and the intelligence community.

General James Cartwright retired from active duty on 1 September 2011, after 40 years of service in the United States Marine Corps. He served as Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, before being nominated and appointed as the 8th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s second highest military officer. General Cartwright served his four-year tenure as Vice Chairman across two presidential administrations and constant military operations against diverse and evolving enemies. He became widely recognized for his technical acumen, vision of future national security concepts, and keen ability to integrate systems, organizations and people in ways that encouraged creativity and sparked innovation.

General Cartwright currently serves as a member of the Board of Governors for Wesley Theological Seminary and is on the Board of Directors for IP3 Security Corporation. He is an adviser for several corporate entities involved in global management consulting; technology services and program solutions; predictive and big data analytics; and advanced systems engineering, integration, and decision-support services, and is also affiliated with a number of professional organizations including the Aspen Strategy Group, The Atlantic Council, Council on Foreign Relations, National Council on Election Integrity, and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

“I am proud to join the Center for Ethics and Rule of Law Executive Board,” said General Cartwright. “I look forward to supporting current and future policymakers and raising public consciousness on vital ethical and rule of law issues.”

Mark S. Zaid, Esq., is a Washington, D.C. based attorney who specializes in crisis management and innovatively handling simple and complex administrative and litigation matters primarily relating to national security, international law, foreign sovereign and diplomatic immunity, and the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts.

Through his practice Mr. Zaid often represents former and current federal employees, particularly intelligence and military officers, defense contractors, whistleblowers, and others who have grievances, have been wronged, or are being investigated by agencies of the United States Government or foreign governments, as well as representatives of the media. He is the Executive Director and founder of the James Madison Project, an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University in the Global Security Studies program, and co-founder of Whistleblower Aid. In connection with his legal practice, Mr. Zaid has testified before, or provided testimony to, a variety of governmental bodies including the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, the House Judiciary Committee, the House Government Operations Committee, the Department of Energy, the Public Interest Declassification Board and the Assassination Records Review Board.

“As an attorney who has spent decades seeking to promote and enforce international law and hold governments and their leadership accountable, particularly in the national security arena, I am thrilled to join CERL’s Executive Board,” said Mr. Zaid. “The organization’s efforts to educate as well as influence decision makers and others in these arenas are instrumental towards ensuring a safer and better world.”