The Team

Zev Furst – Chief Executive Officer

Zev Furst - Chairman and CEO

Mr. Zev Furst attended Columbia University's School of International Affairs and received a Master of International Affairs (MIA) degree in 1971. He worked for the United Nations before being appointed Director of Middle East Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League in 1973 and Director of its newly established Jerusalem office in 1977.

In 1980, Zev Furst, in partnership with David Garth, established Garth-Furst International- an international political consulting and strategic planning firm. He was an advisor and consultant in the 1981 reelection campaign of Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel, and served as an advisor in the political campaigns of: John Anderson, President Luis Herrera of Venezuela,
Senator John Heinz (PA), Senator Arlen Spector (PA), Senator Robert Torricelli (NJ), Governor Roberto Madrazo of Mexico, and Mayor Ed Koch of New York.

Beginning in 1992, Furst advised and consulted with Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin on sensitive political and diplomatic matters, and served as political consultant to Israeli Prime Ministers Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak.

As Chairman and CEO of First International Resources, Furst has been retained as strategic and crisis management consultant to various Fortune 100 companies involved in high profile disputes, including: Volkswagen AG, Archer Daniels Midland, Alcoa, ExxonMobil, Pfizer, Samsung, and Lukoil.

Prior to establishing First International Resources, Zev Furst was founding partner of Meridian Resources and Development Ltd., an international commodities trading company specializing in chemicals and petroleum products.

Mr. Furst is a member of the Board of Directors of Dead Sea Magnesium, Vice Chairman of AG Global Solutions, and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Kennen Institute in Washington, D.C. He has written and lectured extensively on international affairs, business and political strategy and the role of media in politics and diplomacy.

Donny Furst – Vice President

Donny Furst received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yeshiva University in 1994. Upon graduation, he opened the New York office of SEA Multimedia, a Tel-Aviv based software company. He worked in the production, development, and marketing of entertainment CD-Roms for the International Olympic Committee and the National Basketball Association among others.

In 1999, Donny graduated from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs with a degree of Master of International Affairs (M.I.A.). While at Columbia, he worked for the New York City Charter Revision Commission and the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Joseph D. Shwirtz – Vice President

Joe Shwirtz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University (1995) and a Master of Science degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics (1996). After completing his degree at the LSE, Joe worked as a writer for the Anti-Defamation League in New York City.

In 1998, Joe moved to Shanghai, China where he worked as a lecturer of International Business and Economics at Shanghai University. While in China, Joe also served as a consultant to Top Fortune Asia, an import/export company. He conducted market and industry research, liaised with local vendors, and assisted in the development of new business ventures.

Joshua P. Dupuy - Director, Washington, D.C. Office

Joshua Dupuy received his B.A. in international affairs and German from American University's School of International Service in 1997 and a Certificat de Langue Française from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France in 1998.

Prior to joining First International Joshua held positions in both the private and public sectors. From 2000-2001 he worked for BSMG Worldwide, the public relations firm. From 1999-2000, Joshua was an aide to Senator Edward M. Kennedy's (D-MA) re-election campaign and before that he was an aide to Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

Joshua received his J.D. cum laude in 2005 from American University's Washington College of Law, where he was a member of the Administrative Law Review and the Moot Court Honor Society. Mr. Dupuy was the U.S. national champion of the 2005 Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition.

Thomas J. Deters

An expert on Russian politics and energy issues, Tom Deters served as Energy Attaché and National Security Lead at the Department of Energy Office of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia from 2003 through 2006. While in Moscow, Tom coordinated joint U.S.-Russian energy and nonproliferation programs and wrote extensively on all aspects of nuclear nonproliferation and energy cooperation between the U.S. and Russia. Prior to his work in Moscow, Tom wrote daily and weekly news and analysis articles on security, political, and economic issues in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) for Pinkerton’s Daily Global Intelligence Summary.

After departing Moscow in 2006 and prior to joining First International Resources in October 2007, Tom served as senior policy advisor at the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semi-autonomous organization within the Department of Energy (DOE). While at DOE, Tom served as liaison on nuclear energy and nonproliferation programs with the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom), various U.S. government departments and agencies, Congress, and the media.

Tom is a former naval officer, serving tours in the Arabian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea onboard USS Doyle from 1996 until 1998. After his sea duty, Tom managed the Egyptian Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program at the U.S. Navy International Programs Office.