Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Jeffrey Krilla serves as Vice President for Global Public Policy and Government Affairs at Kosmos Energy, a premier international oil and gas exploration and production company, bringing a wealth of global experience in international business, management, and diplomacy. He previously chaired the Africa and Corporate Social Responsibility Practices at Dentons, LLP leading 300 lawyers and professionals in 21 countries in Africa that made Dentons the leading international law firm on the continent.

Prior to this work, Jeff worked in the public sector for over two decades including service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor where he led U.S. delegations on five continents promoting socially responsible partnerships between private and public stakeholders. Before joining the State Department, Jeff was the Africa Director at the International Republican Institute and spent a decade as a congressional aide.   

Jeff is a Lifetime Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is also a member of the Economic Club of Washington, the Atlantic Council, and the United States Trade Representative’s Trade Advisory Committee on Africa. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and has Master’s Degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Naval War College and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.  He is a Naval Attaché in the U.S. Navy Reserves assigned to the Pentagon Joint Staff.