Our Leadership
Mark Kirk
Distinguished Fellow and Co-Founder
In 2000, Mark was elected to the House of Representatives where he served five terms before his election to the U.S. Senate in 2010. In January 2012, Senator Kirk suffered an ischemic stroke and underwent surgeries at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to relieve swelling in his brain. After nearly a year of intensive recovery and rehabilitation, Senator Kirk triumphantly returned to work by climbing the 45 steps of the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2013. Friends and colleagues from both sides of the aisle cheered as Senator Kirk walked up the Capitol steps. Senator Kirk regards his return to the Senate as one of the greatest moments of his life.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Senator Kirk graduated from Winnetka’s New Trier High School and attended Blackburn College and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México before earning a B.A. (cum laude) in history from Cornell University. Senator Kirk also earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown University and served as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve from 1989 until 2013, when he retired with the rank of commander. Senator Kirk worked as a staff member for Congressman John Porter before moving to work at the World Bank and later the State Department. He practiced law at Baker & McKenzie before serving as a counsel to the House International Relations Committee.
Matt Abbott
Executive Director and Co-Founder
Matt previously served as Director of Government and Diplomatic Programs at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs as well as Director of Global and Economic Affairs for U.S. Senator Mark Kirk. He also served on the staff of Mark Kirk in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the staff of Representative Philip Crane.
He was a participant in the National Committee on American Foreign Policy's Emerging Leaders Program for Next Generation Korea Peninsula Specialists and completed a research project on U.S. legislative branch engagement with North Korea. Abbott is also the recipient of multiple other awards and fellowships including a Foreign Policy Fellowship with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a Kim Koo Fellowship with the Korea Society. In addition, he is an instructor at the University of Chicago and a member of the National Committee on North Korea. His commentary and analysis have been featured by dozens of publications including BBC World News, The Chicago Tribune, CNBC, The Hill, and War on the Rocks.
Abbott has participated in numerous conferences, Track 1.5, and Track 2 sessions on East Asian security issues. He has traveled extensively to over 95 countries. He received his undergraduate education at Dartmouth College and completed his graduate education at the University of Chicago. Abbott also received a diploma from the United States Naval War College.