Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin
President, Middle East Institute
Wendy Chamberlin has been President of the Middle East Institute since March 2007. A 29-year veteran of the US Foreign Service, she was US Ambassador to Pakistan from 2001 to 2002. During her tenure in Islamabad, she played a key role in Pakistan's cooperation for the US-led campaign against al Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan following the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Chamberlin has extensive experience in counter-terrorism, having served as Director of Global Affairs and Counter-Terrorism at the National Security Council (1991-1993) and as Deputy in the Bureau of International Counter-Narcotics and Law Programs (1999-2001).
As Assistant Administrator in the Asia-Near East Bureau for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2002 to 2004, Ambassador Chamberlin directed civilian reconstruction programs in Iraq and Afghanistan and development assistance programs throughout Middle East and East Asia.
Other assignments included US Ambassador to the Laos People's Democratic Republic (1996-1999), Director of Press and Public Affairs for the Near East Bureau (1991-1993), Deputy Chief of Mission in the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur (1993-1996), Arab-Israeli Affairs (1982-1984) and other postings in Morocco, Pakistan, Malaysia, Laos and Zaire.
Prior to joining MEI, Chamberlin served as Deputy High Commissioner for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2004-2006) where she supervised the administration of the UN humanitarian organization with a budget of four billion dollars.
Her opinion pieces were published in The Washington Post and International Herald Tribune. In addition, she made several appearances on NPR, FOX, CNN, BBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, Al Jazeera and the Travis Smiley Show.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Chamberlin has a MS in Education from Boston University and participated in the Executive Program at Harvard University. She holds an honorary PhD from Northwestern University. She serves on the Board of the American Academy for Diplomacy and the Hollings Center. She has two daughters.
Experience
Former Deputy High Commissioner for the UN Commissioner for Refugees (2004-2006) and Assistant Administrator of the Asia/Near East Division of USAID (2002-2004)
US Ambassador to Pakistan (2001-2002) and to the Lao People's Democratic Republic (1996-1999)
Other assignments included Director General of Global Affairs and Counter-terrorism at the National Security Council; Director of Press Operations for the State Department's Near East Bureau
Diplomatic assignments in Morocco, Malaysia, Pakistan and Zaire
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