Paul M. Sacks, President and Founder of MNS International, Inc. (MNS), a financial advisory firm. Prior to joining MNS Dr. Sacks worked at Chase Manhattan Bank, where he helped establish their commercial country risk subsidiary. He has carried out assignments for more than 12 sovereigns mostly in Central and Eastern Europe. Dr. Sacks has had extensive experience with a wide array of US and foreign government-backed funding programs. In the United States, this includes several large financings from the Overseas Private Investment Agency (OPIC), projects (in over 10 countries) funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) including privatizations, local debt and equity raisings, advisory work for local investment promotion agencies, and external debt restructurings. Dr. Sacks has also sourced grant funding from the United States Trade Development Agency (USTDA). Dr. Sacks also has extensive experience working with multi-lateral development agencies, including the World Bank, IFC, IMF, UNDP, ADB, AfDB, EBRD, and IADB. As part of his work with emerging economies he has provided technical assistance to several investment and export promotion agencies, including their export guarantee programs. Dr. Sacks holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an A.B. from the University of Rochester. From 1975-1979 he taught Political Economy at the University of California, Los Angeles. Over the past decade Dr. Sacks also served as Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and at New York University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.