Washington, DC, Dec. 11, 2024 — The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to announce Ambassador (ret.) Stuart E. Jones has been selected to serve as its next President and CEO, following approval by its Board of Governors. Jones' appointment will be effective Jan. 5, 2025. He succeeds Dr. Paul Salem, who stepped down in June 2024, and Interim President and CEO Dr. Susan E. Saxton.

Amb. Jones comes to MEI from Bechtel, a global engineering, construction, and project management firm, from which he is retiring as Senior Vice President and President for Regions and Corporate Relations. In this role he oversaw Bechtel’s international and domestic government relations. 

Prior to Bechtel, Jones served for three decades as a US Foreign Service officer with the US State Department. His tenure at State included tours as US Ambassador to Jordan (2011-14) and US Ambassador to Iraq (2014-16). He retired from the State Department in 2017 as the senior Bureau official in the Bureau of Near East Asian Affairs (NEA).

Amb. Jones’ other State Department assignments included: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for NEA, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR), and Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad and Cairo. He also served in Turkey, Colombia, and El Salvador. 

“Stu Jones brings to the position of President and CEO a deep knowledge of the Middle East, an impeccable track record of organizational leadership, and a commitment to MEI’s mission and values,” said General (ret.) John P. Abizaid, chairman of MEI’s Board of Governors. “Under his leadership, MEI looks forward to significantly expanding its expertise and influence as North America’s leading Middle East think tank.”

“I am thrilled and honored to be joining the Middle East Institute as President and CEO,” Jones said. “MEI plays a vital role in providing expert analysis and understanding of a complex region, and that expertise is needed now more than ever as the Middle East faces an especially challenging time. I look forward to working with MEI’s world-class scholars to advance solutions to the region’s conflicts and to help build stronger alliances and partnerships between the United States and the Middle East.”

Since stepping down as President and CEO in June, Dr. Paul Salem has assumed a new role as Vice President of International Engagement, based in the Middle East. Dr. Susan E. Saxton, who has served as Interim President and CEO during the transition, will resume her role as COO in January.

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About MEI
The Middle East Institute is the leading Washington-based institution dedicated solely to the study of the Middle East. A non-partisan, integrated think tank, MEI works to advance the US-Middle East relationship through a whole-of-society approach that includes policy, education, and cultural programming. Housing world-class policy, education, and arts centers, over one dozen specialized policy programs, and over a hundred leading experts from around the world, MEI works with governments, the private sector, and civil society to fulfill MEI’s mission: “To increase knowledge of the Middle East among citizens of the United States and to promote a better understanding between the people of these two areas.”