Assistant Director for International Affairs
White House, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington, D.C., 1992-1995

Working under President Clinton, Dr. Schweitzer was hired to provide scientific and technological policy advice and analysis for the President of the United States, the President's Science Advisor and the Vice President, and to coordinate the U.S. government's international science and technology cooperation (working with the president's cabinet and 22 technical agencies) in countries throughout the world in a broad range of fields including biology, physics, chemistry, geophysics, agriculture, oceanography and marine sciences.

Chief Environmental Officer
Agency for International Development, Policy Directorate, Washington, D.C., 1991-1992

As the environmental policy and program administration at the State Department’s Agency for International Development, Dr. Schweitzer managed and was responsible for the agency’s $500 million/year environment program operating in over 80 countries. Through this global program we addressed issues relating to climate change, tropical forestry, biological diversity and sustainable resource use, intellectual property rights, and donor coordination.

Senior Science Adviser
Agency for International Development, Bureau for Science and Technology, Washington, D.C., 1987-1991

In the position of science policy and program administrator, Dr. Schweitzer established priorities for a $800 million per year development program in environment, energy, agriculture, health, population, and human resource development; and created and managed the implementation of a new $200 million joint U.S./Japan global program to protect biological diversity.

AAAS Science, Engineering and Diplomacy Fellow
U.S. Department of State, A.I.D. Bureau for Program and Policy Coordination, Washington, D.C., 1986-1987

During his tenure as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Schweitzer was selected for the prestigious AAAS fellowship. The fellowships are designed to educate scientists and engineers on the intricacies of federal policymaking, foster positive exchange between scientists and policymakers, empower scientists and engineers to conduct policy-relevant research that addresses challenges facing society, and increase the involvement and visibility of scientists and engineers in the public policy realm. The underlying idea is to improve public policymaking through the infusion of science, and to increase public understanding of science and technology and are part of AAAS Science & Policy Programs.