Nathan A. Sales was sworn in as the Coordinator for Counterterrorism with the rank of Ambassador-at-Large at the Department of State on August 10, 2017.
Before joining the State Department, Ambassador Sales was a law professor at Syracuse University College of Law, where he taught and wrote in the fields of counterterrorism law, national security law, constitutional law, and administrative law. His scholarship has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court multiple times.
Ambassador Sales previously was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security. He led DHS's efforts to draft and implement legislation that strengthened the security features of, and expanded, the Visa Waiver Program (which allows citizens of certain countries to travel to the United States without a visa). He headed the U.S. delegation in talks with seven countries to implement the new security measures and was the Secretary of Homeland Security's Special Envoy to South Korea.
Ambassador Sales also served at the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice (DOJ), where he worked on counterterrorism policy and judicial confirmations. In 2005, he managed DOJ's research and rapid-response team for the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts. He received the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service – the Justice Department's highest honor – for his role in drafting the USA PATRIOT Act, as well as the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award.
An Ohio native, Ambassador Sales received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Duke Law School, where he was Research Editor of the Duke Law Journal and joined the Order of the Coif. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Comparative Counterterrorism Surveillance and Cooperation
2017 National Lawyers Convention
The Mayflower Hotel - State Room1127 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036
Legal Tools for Combating ISIS and Foreign Fighters
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP One Logan Square, Suite 2000Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
The NSA and Civil Liberties
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP 1111 Louisiana Street, Floor 44Houston, Texas 77002
Comparative Counterterrorism Surveillance and Cooperation
2017 National Lawyers Convention
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Comparative Counterterrorism Surveillance and Cooperation
2017 National Lawyers Convention
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Public Service and Private Servers: The Law of Government Information Retention and Security - Podcast
International & National Security Law Practice Group Podcast
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The NSA Telephone Metadata Program - Event Audio/Video
The NSA, Security, Privacy, and Intelligence Symposium
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Nathan A. Sales Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Testimony
Workshop Regarding Surveillance Programs Operated Pursuant to Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and...