WASHINGTON — The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) has hired Aaron E. Ringel as Vice President, International Policy and Advocacy. Ringel, who begins work today at CPA, joins the Government Relations Team and will work to continue to expand CPA’s presence in Washington, including on Capitol Hill and in the administration, with a special emphasis on China policy, national security, and human rights. Jon Toomey will continue to lead CPA’s advocacy as Senior Vice President, Government Relations.
Most recently, Aaron served as the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Global Public Affairs. As a senior member of Secretary Pompeo’s leadership team, Aaron implemented and executed global public affairs campaigns and operations for the U.S. Department of State, managing a bureau of over 300 civil and foreign service officers and a budget of $115 million to advance the United States’ foreign policy priorities. During his time as Assistant Secretary, Aaron led the Department’s global communications efforts in response to the COVID-19 epidemic, ensuring timely and accurate information reached all of our partners globally.
“CPA’s fight to reshore American industry and address strategic competition with China is more important than ever,” said Michael Stumo, CEO of CPA. “Adding top talent like Aaron, with his extensive experience in government, will bolster CPA’s work in Washington and around the country. We are proud to welcome Aaron to our team.”
Prior to assuming his role as Assistant Secretary, Aaron served as the Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources, where he worked to promote U.S. energy sector exports, open foreign markets, and reduce barriers to U.S. energy exports and development. Leading several high-level Indo-Pacific initiatives – including Asia EDGE (Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy), JUSEP (Japan-U.S. Strategic Energy Partnership), and JUMPP (Japan-U.S. Mekong Power Partnership) – Aaron secured billions of dollars in investment for the energy sector within the Indo-Pacific region and advanced numerous business partnerships between U.S. companies and regional allies.
Before joining the Department of State, Aaron served as Deputy Associate Administrator for Congressional Affairs at the Environmental Protection Agency. In this role, he was the chief liaison with Congress and primary political advisor to the Administrator on congressional and political strategy. Aaron has over 15 years of experience in Congressional and strategic advocacy roles, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for former Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and Congressman Richard Hudson (R-NC), where he led numerous complex and successful legislative, communications, and campaign operations.
Aaron served 8 years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, deploying to Iraq in 2005 as an Arabic linguist and serving as the senior enlisted leader of his reserve unit.
Aaron holds a Master of Arts degree in U.S. Foreign Policy from American University in Washington, DC, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of Kansas. He speaks Hebrew and Arabic.
