Judicial clerkship (1982–1983) Upon graduation from
Harvard Law School, Zoellick served as a
law clerk for Judge
Patricia Wald on the
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1982 to 1983.
Government service (1985–1992) Zoellick was special assistant to Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
Richard Darman from July to December 1985, Zoellick served as Bush's personal representative or "
sherpa" for the
G7 Economic Summits in 1991 and 1992. He led the US Delegation to the
Two Plus Four talks on German reunification; for his achievements in this role, the Federal Republic of Germany awarded him the
Knight Commander's Cross of the
Order of Merit. Baker's book
The Politics of Diplomacy describes Zoellick as his "right-hand man on
NAFTA". In August 1992, Zoellick was appointed
White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President.
Business, academia, and politics (1993–2001) After leaving government service, Zoellick served from 1993 to 1997 as an Executive Vice President of
Fannie Mae, and was also its General Counsel from 1993 through 1996. Afterwards, Zoellick was
John M. Olin Visiting professor of National Security Affairs at the
U.S. Naval Academy (1997–98); and Research Scholar at the
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at
Harvard University's
John F. Kennedy School of Government (1999–2001). From July 1999 to February 2001, he was Senior International Advisor to
Goldman Sachs. He served as a member of the board of directors of the
Council on Foreign Relations from 1994 through 2001. From 1997 to 2001, he also served as director of the
Aspen Strategy Group. He resigned due to pressure from the board, which objected to his role as an occasional adviser to George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign. James Baker designated him as his second-in-command—"a sort of chief operating officer or chief of staff"—in the 36-day battle over the
2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida.
U.S. Trade Representative (2001–2005) George W. Bush named Zoellick
U.S. Trade Representative in his first term, making him a member of the
Executive Office of the President and
Cabinet of the United States. He took office on February 7, 2001. ese President
Omar al-Bashir, 2005 Zoellick played a key role in the
U.S.-WTO dispute against the
European Union over
genetically modified foods.
Deputy Secretary of State (2005–2006) Mike Rann in November 2005 , the
United Nations'
special representative to
Sudan. On January 7, 2005, Bush nominated Zoellick to be
Deputy Secretary of State. He assumed the office on February 22, 2005. Zoellick was a major influence on the
Bush administration's policies regarding China. Zoellick was also the Bush administration's point-man on the
Darfur conflict peace process, making four trips to Sudan to press the two sides to agree. He spearheaded U.S. efforts in the 2006
Darfur Peace Agreement.
President of the World Bank (2007–2012) On May 30, 2007, President George W. Bush nominated Zoellick to replace
Paul Wolfowitz as
President of the World Bank. He took office on July 1, 2007. In a speech at the
National Press Club in Washington in October 2007, Zoellick outlined "six strategic themes in support of the goal of an inclusive and sustainable globalization" to guide the future work of the World Bank: overcoming poverty and spurring sustainable growth in the poorest countries, especially Africa; addressing the problems of states coming out of conflict or seeking to avoid breakdown of the state; using a more differentiated business model for middle-income countries; fostering regional and global public goods that transcend national boundaries and benefit multiple countries and citizens; supporting development and opportunities in the Arab World; and using the World Bank's "brain trust" of applied experience to address the five other strategic themes. During Zoellick's time at the World Bank, the institution's capital stock was expanded and lending volumes increased to help member countries deal with the global financial and economic crisis; a major increase in resources was achieved for the institution's soft loan facility, the
International Development Association (IDA), which lends to the poorest countries; and a reform was carried out to the World Bank's shareholding, Executive Board and voting structure, to increase the influence of developing and emerging economies in the World Bank's governance. Zoellick made advances in the use of open data, promoted senior officials from developing countries, addressed climate change, expanded aid during the financial crisis and obtained a capital increase, with developing countries providing more than half. Zoellick stepped down from the World Bank presidency when his term ended on June 30, 2012.
Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School (2012–present) After leaving the
World Bank, Zoellick took up the position as a senior fellow at
Harvard Kennedy School's
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in July 2012. From October 2013 to September 2016, he served as Chairman of International Advisors to Goldman Sachs.
Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign In August 2012, during the
2012 United States presidential election, Zoellick was appointed to lead the
national security portion of
Republican candidate
Mitt Romney's transition team should he be elected
President of the United States. According to political commentator
Fred Barnes, writing beforehand in
The International Economy magazine, Zoellick at the time was considered a "heavyweight with impressive government experience". The selection of Zoellick drew criticism from conservatives, especially
neoconservatives. Romney lost the election to incumbent
Barack Obama. ==Additional posts==