Mark V. Vlasic

Mark V. Vlasic is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, a Senior Fellow at Georgetown’s Institute for Law, Science & Global Security, and its Institute of International Economic Law, and leads the international practice at Madison Law & Strategy Group.  A former outside advisor to the Director-General of UNESCO on cultural heritage and “blood antiquities” issues, his work inspired the character “Danny” for the television series BLOOD & TREASURE. He is an executive producer for the CBS Television Studios and Amazon Prime social impact action-adventure series and also serves as an outside pro bono ITAC advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.   

As public sector specialist at the World Bank Group, Mark served as the first head of operations of the StAR Secretariat, a joint United Nations-World Bank presidential initiative to help developing countries recover stolen assets from past dictators. 

Before joining the Bank, he served as a White House Fellow/special assistant to the Secretary of Defense and advisor to the President’s Special Envoy to Sudan, and was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service by Secretary Robert Gates.    

Prior to his government service, Mark practiced law at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and served on the Slobodan Milosevic and Srebrenica genocide prosecution trial teams at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.   He has taught the Iraqi judges that tried Saddam Hussein, served on the U.S. Delegation to the Pan Am 103 “Lockerbie” terrorist bombing trial in the Netherlands, advised the Director-General of UNESCO, provided commentary to BBC, CNN, FOX, CBS, Al Jazeera English, and NPR, and is published widely.  

Mark studied business, theology and government at Georgetown University while on an Army ROTC scholarship, and received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Georgetown Law Center.  He holds Certificates in International Law from The Hague Academy of International Law, conducted post-doctorate research at Universiteit Leiden as a NAF-Fulbright Scholar to the Netherlands, and completed the World Economic Forum's executive leadership programs at Oxford and Harvard.   

As a U.S. Army officer, he has been attached to Capitol Hill and the Defense Attaché Office at the U.S. Embassy in The Hague, and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. 

Knighted by the Vatican and commissioned a Kentucky Colonel (the highest honor bestowed by its governor), Mark is a Fellow with the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations, a member of the Bars of California, the District of Columbia, and the Supreme Court of the United States, and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Mark is a founding co-chair of the YGL SDG Advisory Council and has advised numerous boards, including the White House Fellow Foundation, the NCAC Fulbright Association, the Center on Sanctions & Illicit Finance, Kinecta Financial Management Company and Kinecta Federal Credit Union.

"Behind every personal success story is likely a teacher, who quietly helped nurture, inspire and educate that individual - and thus we should be grateful for their service in every success story we see."