Upon graduation from Cornell Law in the 90s, Punke worked as a government staffer for Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana),[2] who was later ambassador to China. Specifically, from 1991–92, Punke served as international trade counsel to Baucus, who was also then chairman of the Senate Finance Committee's International Trade Subcommittee.[4] Punke also met his wife Traci while working for Baucus.[5] During 1993–95, Punke then served at the White House as director for international economic affairs and was jointly appointed to the National Economic Council and the National Security Council.[5]
Work at the Office of the United States Trade Representative
In 1995–96, Punke became a Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (the USTR), where he advised them on issues ranging from intellectual property (IP) law to trade to agricultural law.[4] Punke has also worked on international trade issues from the private sector, including as a partner at the Washington, D.C., office of Mayer, Brown, Rowe, & Maw. From 2003 to 2009, Punke consulted on public policy issues out of Missoula, Montana.
In 2009, President Barack Obama selected Punke to serve as the Deputy United States Trade Representative and U.S. Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland.[5] Obama's selection of Punke for this position was also confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2011.[6]
Private sector work
Punke has been a partner at the law firm of Mayer Brown, resident in the Washington, D.C. office and working on various matters involving international trade law. In the years of 2003 to 2009, Punke served as a consultant on various public policy matters and was also based in Missoula, Montana. In February 2017, Punke joined Amazon Web Services as Vice President for Global Public Policy.[7]
Writing
The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge
Punke is the author of The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, which was published by Carroll & Graf in 2002. He came up with the idea to write the novel while on an airplane, after reading a couple of lines in a history book about real-life frontier fur trapper Hugh Glass.[2] Punke was also working at the law firm of Mayer Brown at the time when he started the book (1997), so he would go to the office as early as 5:00 AM before anyone else got there to write pages for roughly three hours, and then do his job for eight to ten hours.[1] The book took a total of four years to complete and according to his brother Tim, Punke actually caught pneumonia at least four times during the writing process.[1] Punke also performed extensive research on Glass, which included setting up and testing real hunting traps.[2] The book was published in 2002 to little fanfare, although Punke was able to sell movie rights to it.[2] Once he discovered the novel, Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu fought for it to be made into a movie, where other directors such as Park Chan-Wook and producers such as Megan Ellison were also attached.[1]
After Punke relocated with his wife Traci and their two children to Missoula, Montana, where he worked part-time as a policy consultant and an adjunct professor at the University of Montana, he finished two screenplays as well as two non-fiction books, one about the fight to save the Buffalo – Last Stand (2007) – and the other about a mining disaster that occurred in North Butte, Montana – Fire and Brimstone: The North Butte Mining Disaster of 1917 (2013).[1]
During his time as ambassador to the WTO, Punke was permitted to receive royalties from sales of his books, though he was prohibited from promoting them in any way, due to ethics policies preventing federal officials from self-enrichment. As his tenure coincided with the 2015 release of the film adaptation of The Revenant, he did not attend any public or promotional events related to the film. Instead, family members represented and spoke for him during that time.[2]
Fire and Brimstone: The North Butte Mining Disaster of 1917
In 2006, Punke published a non-fiction book, via Hachette Books, that covered a mining disaster that occurred in North Butte, Montana during 1917. The book was a finalist for the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award. A reprint edition was also published in 2007. The book has received favorable reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews and other sources.
Last Stand
HarperCollins published Punke's non-fiction book about saving the Buffalo – Last Stand – in 2007.[8] The subtitle of the book is "George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West."
Other writing work
Punke wrote the introduction to a contemporary reprint of Mari Sandoz's 1954 book, The Buffalo Hunters: The Story of the Hide Men. He was the historical correspondent for Montana Quarterly magazine.[8]
Television
Punke appeared in the 2023 Ken Burns documentary The American Buffalo.[9]
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