Joseph Samuel Nye Jr. is an American political scientist. He and Robert Keohane co-founded the international relations theory of neoliberalism,which they developed in their 1977 book Power and Interdependence. Together with Keohane,he developed the concepts of asymmetrical and complex interdependence. They also explored transnational relations and world politics in an edited volume in the 1970s. More recently,he pioneered the theory of soft power. His notion of "smart power" became popular with the use of this phrase by members of the Clinton Administration and the Obama Administration.
Edward Peter Djerejian is a former United States diplomat who served in eight administrations from John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton (1962–94.) He served as the United States Ambassador to Syria (1988–91) and Israel (1993–94),Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and Deputy Press Secretary of Foreign Affairs (1985–1986),and was Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (1991–1993.) He was the founding director of Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy (1994-2022) He is a senior fellow at the Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs,a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is on the board of trustees of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He is a Proprietor of the Boston Athenaeum. Djerejian was elected chairman of Occidental Petroleum Corporation's board of directors (2013–2015). Djerejian is the author of the book Danger and Opportunity:An American Ambassador's Journey Through the Middle East
Edward William Gnehm Jr.,also known as Skip Gnehm,is an American diplomat who most recently served as the U.S. ambassador to Jordan. He is now a faculty member at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
Robert Orris Blake Jr. is an American career diplomat who served as Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 2006 to 2009,Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs from 2009 to 2013 and Ambassador to Indonesia from 2014 to 2016.
John William Middendorf II is a former United States diplomat,Secretary of the Navy,and Republican political operative. He has written numerous books and articles pertaining to politics,security,and history.
Richard Jeffrey Danzig is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 71st Secretary of the Navy under President Bill Clinton. He served as an advisor of the President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign and was later the chairman of the national security think-tank,the Center for a New American Security.
Richard William Murphy was an American diplomat and career member of the foreign service. He served as the 14th Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs from 1983 to 1989 during the Ronald Reagan administration.
Michael Edward Ranneberger is a former United States Ambassador to Kenya.
Patrick Mendis is an educator,diplomat,author,and executive in government service in the United States. A former American diplomat and military professor during the Clinton,Bush,and Obama administrations,he held various positions in the U.S. Departments of Agriculture,Defense,Energy,and State. He was appointed twice as a commissioner of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO at the State Department by the Obama administration. His appointment to the UNESCO Commission ended during the Trump administration when the White House withdrew from the UN agency.
James Franklin Collins is a former United States Ambassador to Russia. A career Foreign Service Officer in the State Department,he is a Russian specialist.
Kathleen Stephens was the United States ambassador to South Korea from 2008 to 2011. She also served as the United States' chargéd'affaires to India from March to December 2014. She currently leads the Korea Economic Institute of America as president and CEO.
Kenneth Ian Juster is a veteran American diplomat,who served as the United States Ambassador to India from 2017 to 2021. He is currently senior counselor at the global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer,senior adviser at the institutional investor CDPQ,strategic adviser at the software company Salesforce,and distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Richard Rahul Verma is an American diplomat,who serves as the deputy secretary of state for management and resources,a position he has held since April 5,2023. He served as the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs from 2009 to 2011,and as the U.S. ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017. He served as the chief legal officer and head of global public policy at Mastercard,from 2020 to 2023,and as the vice chair of the Asia Group from 2017 to 2020,where he oversaw the firm's South Asia practice. He also practiced law for many years at Steptoe &Johnson LLP in Washington DC,and served as a Senior Counselor and Lead of the India and South Asia practice at Albright Stonebridge Group.
Earl Anthony Wayne is an American diplomat. Formerly Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs,Ambassador to Argentina and Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan,Wayne served nearly four years as Ambassador to Mexico. He was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in August,2011. He departed Mexico City for Washington July 31,2015 and retired from the State Department on September 30,2015. Wayne attained the highest rank in the U.S. diplomatic service:Career Ambassador. He is currently a Professorial Lecturer and Distinguished Diplomat in Residence at American University's School of International Service where he teaches courses related to diplomacy and US foreign policy. Wayne also works with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,the Atlantic Council,the Center for Strategic and International Studies,. Wayne is co-chair of the Mexico Institute's Advisory Board at the Wilson Center. He is also on the board of the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Public Diplomacy Council of America. Wayne is an independent consultant,speaker and writer and works with several not-for-profit professional associations. He was an adviser for HSBC Latin America on improving management of financial crime risk from 2015 until 2019 and served on the board of the American Foreign Service Association from 2017 to 2019.
Nirupama Menon Rao is a retired civil servant of 1973 batch Indian Foreign Service cadre who served as India's Foreign Secretary from 2009 to 2011,as well as being India's Ambassador to the United States,China and Sri Lanka during her career.
John Stern Wolf served as a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State from 1970–2004,including tours as Ambassador to Malaysia,Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation,and Chief Monitor,The Middle East Roadmap for Peace. He retired in July 2014 as President of Eisenhower Fellowships in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.
Morton Isaac Abramowitz was an American diplomat and U.S. State Department official. Starting his overseas career in Taipei,Taiwan,after joining the foreign service,he served as U.S. Ambassador to Thailand and Turkey and as the Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research. He retired from the State Department with the rank of Career Ambassador. In his later life,he acted as president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,served as co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Turkey Initiative,and founded the International Crisis Group.
Eisenhower Fellowships (EF) is a private,non-profit organization created in 1953 by a group of American citizens to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his contribution to humanity as a soldier,statesman,and world leader. The organization describes itself as an "independent,nonpartisan international leadership organization".
Jimmy J. Kolker is an American diplomat. He was the ambassador to Burkina Faso from 1999 to 2002 and Uganda from 2002 to 2005. He was Chief of the HIV/AIDS Section at UNICEF’s New York headquarters from 2007 to 2011. From 2011 to 2017,Ambassador Kolker was Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs,U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington,DC.
Daniel R. Russel is an American diplomat who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2013 to 2017. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary,Russel was Special Assistant to the President and National Security Staff Senior Director for Asian Affairs. He was a major figure in the Obama administration's "pivot towards Asia" strategy.
