Michael Clauser

Born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Michael Clauser directed his focus toward international affairs and government service from an early age. The summer following his sophomore year at Saucon Valley High School in Hellertown, Pennsylvania, Michael Clauser won the honor of attending the National Young Leaders Conference sponsored by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council in Washington, DC. One of 350 outstanding students chosen for their scholastic merit and leadership potential, Michael Clauser visited the U.S. State Department, The National Press Club, and his future workplace, the U.S. House of Representatives. Meanwhile, Michael Clauser achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with over 30 merit badges, a Bronze Palm, and Brotherhood membership in the Order of the Arrow. Graduating from Saucon Valley High School in 2001, Michael Clauser proceeded to The Pennsylvania State University, where he earned dual Bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and Religious Studies, with minors in Classics and International Studies, in three years. He also assisted in reviving the Penn State chapter of Alpha Chi Rho (AXP) fraternity, of which he remains a proud alumnus. He lived in Athens, Greece during the spring semester of his junior year. Over the next year, Michael Clauser obtained a Master’s degree in European Studies at the University of Exeter in England and a second Master’s in International Relations from the Poznań University of Economics in Poland through a dual degree program. He subsequently settled in Washington, DC, first working as a Research Associate at Commonwealth Consulting Corporation, then serving in the Pentagon as an appointee in the Presidential Administration of George W. Bush. Michael Clauser later served as the National Security Legislative Assistant to a senior Republican Congressman from the Texas panhandle. In this role he participated in the Strategic Public Diplomacy Task Force run by the Institute of World Politics Center for Culture and Society and the Strengthening America's Global Engagement (SAGE) initiative at the Woodrow Wilson Institute. Michael Clauser has published articles on national security issues in Small Wars Journal, the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, and the Political Studies Review. He is a member of the Navy League of the United States, The Air Force Association, the Association of the United States Army, and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.