Robert Bruce Zoellick is an American public official, lawyer, economist, and investment banker with a distinguished career spanning U.S. government service, international organizations, and the private sector. Born on July 25, 1953, in Evergreen Park, Illinois, he graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in history in 1975 and earned a J.D. magna cum laude and M.P.P. from Harvard University in 1981. Zoellick held key roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, including Counselor to the Secretary of State and White House Deputy Chief of Staff. As U.S. Trade Representative (2001-2005), he negotiated China's entry into the WTO, launched Doha trade talks, and advanced multiple free trade agreements. He served as Deputy Secretary of State under Condoleezza Rice (2005-2006), influencing policies on China and Darfur, before becoming President of the World Bank (2007-2012), where he expanded lending during the financial crisis and reformed governance for developing nations. He was a member of the Vulcans advisory team for George W. Bush's presidential campaign. Post-government, Zoellick advised Goldman Sachs, chaired AllianceBernstein, and held board positions at organizations like Twitter (until 2022), Robinhood, and Temasek Holdings. Currently, he is a Senior Counselor at Brunswick Group, Senior Fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, Chairman of Standard Chartered's international advisory council, and involved in various think tanks and boards such as the Peterson Institute and Carnegie Endowment. A Republican foreign policy advisor to campaigns including George W. Bush's and Mitt Romney's, he is affiliated with networks like the Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission, and Bilderberg Group. Married to Sherry Lynn Ferguson since 1980, he resides in McLean, Virginia, with German ancestry and a Lutheran upbringing. Zoellick has faced criticism for aggressive trade promotion, including CAFTA advocacy and intervention in Japan's postal privatization, as well as resigning from CSIS amid campaign conflicts. He opposed Donald Trump's 2016 candidacy, citing protectionism and authoritarian leanings.