Colonel (Ret.) Stephen A. Hughes joins the Samson Atlantic Advisory Board

CHICAGO - July 7, 2021 - PRLog -- Samson Atlantic LLC is thrilled to announce that Colonel (Ret) Stephen A. Hughes will be joining our Advisory Board from Ramstein, Germany.  Stephen brings with him more than 30 years of geopolitical expertise, with over 15 years of it working in Africa or on issues of security cooperation with key African nations.  He is currently serving as the Deputy Director for Plans, Programs and Analyses at Headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.  "Steve brings an unmatched understanding of the geopolitical risks that face companies venturing into new markets.  His profound understanding of the political and economic issues in Africa is especially important for our clients, who see Africa as a crucial and fast-growing market for goods, services, and economic partnerships," said Kirk Samson, firm owner, during the announcement.  "We're delighted that Steve has joined our team and look forward to leveraging his expertise to expand and strengthen our political risk and market entry offerings for our clients."

Stephen is a career Foreign Area Officer (FAO) with six overseas tours in Europe, Africa, and Asia Minor, including extensive time in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, as well as Niger and Senegal.  He also deployed to Turkey, Italy and Afghanistan in support of major operations while on active duty. Most recently, Stephen served as Defense Attaché in Niger, at the Pentagon as the Branch Chief for the Air Force International Affairs Specialist Program and as a Regional Director at the Office of the Secretary of Defense Policy for African Affairs (where he collaborated with Joint Staff and State Department experts on counter violent extremist organizations and counter-terrorism strategies).  Prior to his retirement from Active Duty in 2019, Stephen spent three years leading security cooperation planning activities worth over $70 million annually in over 100 European and African countries.

Stephen was born and raised in Ghana and commissioned in 1989 as a Distinguished Graduate of Virginia Tech's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program. He is fluent in Twi, French, and has a working knowledge of Portuguese.

https://www.samsonatlantic.com