Scott Bates has led teams, transformed organizations and delivered results at the state, national and international levels of government and policy development across the globe for over twenty-five years.

Bates has been on the ground in every conflict zone where American troops have served in this generation. He has worked with elected leaders and activists alike to build and strengthen democracy and governing institutions on five continents, in places as diverse as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Haiti, Nigeria, Myanmar and the Persian Gulf.

Bates has extensive experience on Capitol Hill, including as a Congressional Chief of Staff and Communications Director.  After the attacks of September 11th,he was part of the team that created the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. As its first Senior Policy Advisor, Bates was principal author of “Winning the War on Terror” which helped inform the 9/11 Commission in the development of its report. As President of the Center for National Policy, Bates continued his work on international relations and national security issues. He led that think tank into a successful merger with the Truman National Security Project.

On the state level, Scott Bates developed the legislative agenda for the Governor of Virginia and led task forces on rural economic development as well as urban revitalization. As Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Bates appointed more women and minorities to state boards and commissions than all his predecessors combined.

In his home state of Connecticut, serving as Deputy Secretary of the State, Bates was responsible for the development and implementation of the plan to ensure safe, secure and accessible statewide elections during the COVID pandemic. As Founding Chairman of the Connecticut Port Authority, Bates led efforts that resulted in a transformational port development deal which brought the offshore wind industry to the state.

Scott Bates has taught as a Lecturer at the University of Tokyo, been an Instructor at the National Defense University and a Visiting Professor of International Law at the University of Indiana.  He holds J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics.