Derek Norberg joined FRAEC in January 2003 as Executive Director of the “Russian American Pacific Partnership” (RAPP) U.S.-Russian bilateral forum focused on Russian Far East (RFE) development and opportunity. In this capacity, Derek maintains close relationships with the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State, the Russian Ministries of Economic Development and Trade and Foreign Affairs, and with the regional administrations of the RFE. Derek also serves as FRAEC’s Business Services Director.

 

Derek previously held the position of Director of Operations with the Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI) in San Francisco in 2001 through 2002. Derek was the founding Country Director in Azerbaijan for the Eurasia Foundation in 2000-2001. For two years in 1997 and 1998, Derek was resident in Khabarovsk, Russia as the Vice-President and Regional Director in the Russian Far East for The U.S.-Russia Investment Fund (TUSRIF) managing commercial loans to Russian companies through six Russian bank partners and sourcing, structuring and monitoring of equity investment projects. In the 1990s, Derek worked in various management positions with the U.S.-Russian joint-venture company “Marine Resources Company International” (MRCI).

Derek has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California Berkeley, with non-degree Russian Studies post-graduate work at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He is fluent in Russian.