Washington, D.C.

May 12, 2026

American Citizens Abroad (ACA), a leading advocacy organization representing the interests of U.S. citizens living overseas, today announced the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors: Andreas Hellmann, Vlad Petrovic and Carmelan Polce. All appointments are effective immediately.

“These individuals bring a strong combination of financial leadership, policy expertise, and international experience that will strengthen ACA’s mission and governance,” said Jonathan Lachowitz, ACA Chairman “Their diverse backgrounds reflect the global nature of the American community abroad.”

Andreas Hellmann is Director of Outreach, Tax & Regulatory Policy at the THOLOS Foundation, formerly Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based taxpayer advocacy and policy research organization. His work focuses on international taxation, digital taxation, regulatory policy, and antitrust reform. Born and raised in Germany, Hellmann recently became a U.S. citizen, bringing both international perspective and policy expertise to ACA’s board.

Vlad Petrovic is a U.S. citizen currently residing in Portugal, with professional experience across America including in Georgia, Illinois and Washington, D.C. He brings a unique diplomatic and international background, having served as Serbian Ambassador to the United States before returning to private life and the U.S. His cross-border experience and understanding of expatriate issues further enhance ACA’s global perspective.

Carmelan Polce is a U.S. citizen living in Australia for more than 30 years. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Temple University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Carmelan worked for more than two decades in the finance industry in Philadelphia, Melbourne and Sydney and has been a committed advocate for expat tax reform for more than 15 years. She has met extensively over that time with Congress, the IRS, the DOT and DOS about the range of taxation and financial account disclosure issues faced by U.S. citizens abroad.

American Citizens Abroad continues to expand its leadership capacity as it advocates for the rights and interests of Americans living overseas, including issues related to taxation, voting, and financial access.

American Citizens Abroad Global Foundation (ACAGF) also welcomes an addition to their board, John Pelletier. He brings extensive financial leadership and organizational management experience. He currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for the Crossroads of America Council, where he oversees accounting, human resources, information technology, and member services, and provides leadership across all financial functions, including budgeting and audit. Earlier in his career, Pelletier held multiple development and fundraising roles across several states, including serving as Director of Development for the Mid-America Council in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Daniel Webster Council in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Raised in a military family, Pelletier spent 13 years of his childhood in Europe, including time in Brussels, Belgium, and Kaiserslautern, Germany. He is an Eagle Scout and a graduate of Marquette University. He resides in Fishers, Indiana, with his wife, Theresa.

“ACAGF welcomes John to our board as we continue to grow our research capabilities. Fielding new research and growing our database  to inform expats and policymakers about the challenges of residency overseas and the best analysis and policies to support Americans abroad.” said Charles Bruce, ACAGF Chairman

For more information about ACA and ACAGF and our work, please visit our websites: americansabroad.org and www.acaglobalfoundation.org

Media Contact:
Marylouise Serrato
ACA Executive Director
[email protected]
+1 202 322 8441