Executive Chairman
Washington Network Group
Phone: 202-455-4504 (office)
Email:

Member: WNG Board of Advisors

Bill Stokes works with leaders to improve their professional performance, and advises clients on executive search and business development strategies. Bill has trained as an executive coach and leadership developer. Concurrently, he serves as Chairman of the Washington Network Group (WNG), an association of senior-level executives in private sector companies, professional services firms, nonprofit organizations, multilateral institutions, government agencies, the Congress, foreign embassies, and the media. He founded the WNG in 1995.

Bill has worked as a consultant to multinational corporations, emerging companies, and economic development agencies. His client work includes designing and executing business development strategies; providing counsel on business intelligence; political, economic and country risk assessment; government relations and public affairs; media relations and corporate communications; and trade and investment promotion.

He is a seasoned non-profit professional, having served as Director of Development at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) and Chief of Staff at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in Washington, D.C. Additionally, He was Program Director at the National Council for International Trade Development (NCITD) and Program Director at the Washington Research Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a leading German political foundation.

Bill pursued graduate studies in international business and economics, and Western European politics at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University. He holds an undergraduate degree in history and political science from the College of William & Mary in Virginia. He also studied at the University of Trier in Germany and at Georgetown University. Bill speaks German.

He has served on numerous boards for both associations and educational institutions, including the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C. and the Phillips Exeter Academy alumni/ae association of Washington, D.C, where he was president. He was a founding member of RecruitDC and the International Business Council of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, and served on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Entrepreneurship at the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah University. He served on the Board of Directors of the German American Business Association (GABA), and was Director of the Manfred-Woerner-Seminar for German-American Understanding, a leading transatlantic exchange program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Additionally, he is a member of The Metropolitan Club of Washington, D.C.

For many years, Bill has coached youth soccer teams in Arlington, Virginia, and he coaches a youth lacrosse team in McLean, Virginia. His outdoor pursuits include kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, and skiing. If he does not have a weekend game, most likely you will find him paddling a local river, exploring a local mountain, or at steeplechase races in the Virginia countryside.



Relevant Presentations and Interviews:

 2011-October 14: "International Trade Career Roundtable: Networking - Old Style and New Style" (presenter)
           Washington International Trade Association (WITA)

 2010-April 13: "Networking in Washington, D.C." (presenter)
           Hope Fellowships

 2010-April 7: "Networking Strategies for Business Executives" (presenter)
           Women in Business

 2010-February 1: "Networking & Job Seeking in the Policy World" (panelist)
           Washington International Trade Association (WITA)

 2009-October 29: "Networking Tips from a Pro"
           DC Works

 2009-October 25: "Go Back to School to Smooth Career Changes"
           The Washington Post

 2009-September 13: "Networking 101: Build Relationships and Advance Your Career"
           The Washington Post

 2009-September 10: "The Power of Networking: Building a Strategy that Works"
           CXO Forum

 2009-July 9: "The Importance of Networking and How to Be Successful at It"
           National Albanian American Council (NAAC)

 2009-March 25: "Social Media & Career Transitions" (moderator)
           Washington Network Group (WNG)

 2008-December 2: "Managing Your Next Career Transition" (moderator)
           Washington Network Group (WNG)

 2008-September 29: "The Power of Networking"
           Association of Women In International Trade (WIIT)