David Balton

David Balton is a Senior Fellow with the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative. 

During the Biden Administration, David Balton served as the Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Executive Steering Committee, which advances and coordinates and U.S. policies and activities in the Arctic region.  

He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries in the U.S. Department of State, attaining the rank of Ambassador in 2006. Ambassador Balton was responsible for coordinating the development of U.S. foreign policy concerning oceans and fisheries, and overseeing U.S. participation in international organizations dealing with these issues. Ambassador Balton functioned as the lead U.S. negotiator on a wide range of agreements in the field of oceans and fisheries and has chaired numerous international meetings. He was also a Senior Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

During the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council (2015-2017), he served as Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials. His prior Arctic Council experience included co-chairing the Arctic Council Task Forces that produced the 2011 Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic and the 2013 Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic. He separately chaired negotiations that produced the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean.

Ambassador Balton appeared as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, juggling oranges. With his wife, Jane Stewart, he produces acrostic puzzles that run in the New York Times every two weeks.