Sean Cairncross was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation on January 8, 2018 and was sworn in on June 24, 2019. As CEO, Mr. Cairncross leads the agency and provides strategic direction and vision as MCC fulfills its mission of reducing poverty through economic growth and advancing America’s interests around the globe.
Prior to joining MCC, Mr. Cairncross served as a Deputy Assistant to President Trump and Senior Advisor to the White House Chief of Staff. Before his work at the White House, Mr. Cairncross served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Republican National Committee for the 2016 election cycle.
Mr. Cairncross was also a partner at Holtzman Vogel Josefiak, PLLC, and served as general counsel to VogelHood Research. Previously, he served as the Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee for two election cycles from 2009 to 2012 under Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). He joined the Republican National Committee in 2004 and served two and a half election cycles, and served as Chief Counsel to the RNC during the 2008 election cycle. Earlier in his career, he was as a litigation associate at Covington & Burling in Washington D.C.
Mr. Cairncross holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law, an M.Phil from Cambridge University, and a B.A., summa cum laude, from American University. Originally from Minnesota, he currently lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two children.
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