Susan L. Ziadeh

Ambassador (ret.) Susan L. Ziadeh was the U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar and more recently served as the acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs. She held senior leadership positions in Riyadh, Baghdad, and Bahrain as well as postings in Kuwait, Amman and Jerusalem. Currently a Middle East strategic advisor based in Washington, Ambassador Ziadeh is also an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. Ambassador Ziadeh is a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a member of the Middle East Institute’s Board of Governors, a member of the International Advisors Council for the American University of Beirut, Lebanon and a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy. She was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Department’s highest civilian award. She was also recognized for the White House Presidential Meritorious Service Award for her service in Qatar and was decorated by HH Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the State of Qatar Emiri Sash of Merit (First Class). A recipient of the Department of State’s Distinguished Honor Award, she also received the Department-wide Arnold L. Raphel Memorial Award for Leadership and before that, the Department of State’s Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy. A Fulbright scholar in Egypt and Lebanon, Ambassador Ziadeh earned a PhD in History from the University of Michigan, an M.A. from the American University of Beirut, an M.S. (Distinguished Scholar) from the National War College, National Defense University, and a B.A. from the University of Washington.