Mira Ricardel

After briefly attending Zagreb University, he left Yugoslavia in 1954.

After two years in Heidelberg, where he met and married his wife, he arrived in the United States in 1956.

Ricardel grew up in Pasadena, California, and at home spoke the German and Croatian languages.

Her family belonged to the St Anthony's Croatian Catholic Church and attended Mass in Los Angeles.

Mira Radielovic Ricardel (formerly Baratta; born July 5, 1960), is an American businesswoman and former federal political appointee.

She is a board member of Titomic, an Australian manufacturing additive company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Ricardel received her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, graduating magna cum laude in 1982 and received honors in Russian Studies.

While at Georgetown, she was a member of the Delta Phi Epsilon professional foreign service sorority.

She then did doctoral coursework at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, but did not complete her degree.

Ricardel's public service began in 1984, when she was selected for the distinguished Presidential Management Intern Program (now Presidential Management Fellow Program) where she rotated into positions at the Defense Logistics Agency, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and the Office of Senator Pete Wilson (R-CA).

Politically, Ricardel has characterized herself as a "Reagan Republican".

Her first political appointment was in 1986, working at the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency where she served as a congressional affairs specialist and later as a deputy director for congressional affairs.

She served at the agency until 1989.

From 1989 to 1996, Ricardel worked as a legislative assistant to Senate Republican leader Bob Dole, drafting legislation and specializing in foreign affairs and defense policy.

During the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995, her personal knowledge of the languages and cultures involved was credited with improving Dole's understanding of the conflict.

One official said, "She knows the issues, so he knows the issues."

Ricardel's Croatian heritage brought forth accusations that she was influencing Dole to take an anti-Serbian policy stance.

But in fact Dole had a long record of warning about the actions and character of Serbia leader Slobodan Milosevic.

She made appearances in public, and her work with Dole earned her a portrayal in the nationally circulated Weekly Standard in 1995.

Ricardel served as an advisor on defense and foreign policy on Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, when he won the Republican nomination but lost the general election to Bill Clinton.

Ricardel served as a vice president for programming with the nonprofit organization Freedom House from 1997 to 1998 and as an independent consultant from 1998 to 2000.

During some of this time she lived in New York City and was a close neighbor of Monica Lewinsky.

Ricardel said of Dole in 1999, "He's been out there for a decade saying we need to get involved. And no one's been paying attention. Or they pay attention for a while and manage the problem, but they don't solve it."

From 2001 to 2003, Ricardel was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense  for Eurasia and was responsible for coalition building between the U.S. and governments in the Caucasus, Central Asian, and Balkans regions.

From 2003 to 2005, Ricardel was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy and then acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy.

She was the primary adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Defense regarding Europe, Eurasia, NATO, nuclear forces, missile defense, and arms control.

The Washington Post reported that "She developed a reputation as a Russia hawk and was seen as a tough bureaucratic player with a strong personality".

One former colleague later said, "She’s a very tough woman, very smart, does not suffer fools well. And if you happen to be the fool, she will let you know".

After leaving the Defense Department, Ricardel spent one year as Vice President of International Business Development for Teachscape, a company that creates educational training and support.

From 2006 to 2015, Ricardel was employed by the Boeing Company as Vice President, Strategic Missile & Defense Systems, as well as Vice President of International Business Development, Network and Space Systems.

During her time with Boeing she was a resident of Alexandria, Virginia.

In 2015, Ricardel joined Federal Budget IQ as a consultant.

Despite the orientation of its work, that of an involved governmental research firm, she was not considered a registered lobbyist.

She served as Deputy National Security Advisor from May 2018 to November 2018.

Her controversial departure from the White House was largely billed as being "fired at the request of First Lady Melania Trump."

Earlier in the Trump administration, Ricardel served as a Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director in the Office of Presidential Personnel, and Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration.

In years prior to that, she served as a foreign policy advisor to U.S. Senator Bob Dole and held positions in the U.S. Department of Defense during the presidency of George W. Bush.

Born Mira P. Radielovic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ricardel is of German and Croatian descent.

Her father, Peter Radielovic, came from Breza, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He was 16 years old when he survived the Bleiburg repatriations.