AUS to host veteran US diplomat as Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow

Wendy Chamberlin, an internationally renowned American diplomat, will be the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow at American University of Sharjah (AUS) all of next week. Ambassador Chamberlin, who will be at the university October 16-20, will conduct classes, seminars, workshops and lectures, and will meet with students and faculty members informally throughout the week to share her practical knowledge in the areas of women's issues, terrorism, refugees, education, development, and culture and society.

"We are very pleased and honored to have Ambassador Chamberlin as the Woodrow Wilson Fellow at AUS," said Dr. Thomas J. Hochstettler, AUS Provost. "Our students will have an opportunity to meet a seasoned diplomat with a deep knowledge of issues, helping to create better understanding and new connections between the academic and non-academic worlds. We're delighted that she will also have time to get to know our campus and to explore in depth how the classroom and campus relate to the broader society."

During her stay, Ambassador Chamberlin will also deliver a public lecture on the role of the Middle East Institute within the Gulf Arab region. The lecture is scheduled for Monday, October 17 at 4:00 p.m. and is open to the public.

Wendy Chamberlin has been President of the Middle East Institute (MEI) since March 2007. A 29-year veteran of the US Foreign Service, she was US Ambassador to the Laos People's Democratic Republic (1996-1999) and to Pakistan (2001- 2002). During her ambassadorship in Islamabad, she played a key role in Pakistan's cooperation for the US-led campaign against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan following the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Prior to joining MEI, Ambassador 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 US $4 billion.

She 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).

During her appointment to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as Assistant Administrator in the Asia-Near East Bureau (2002-2004), she helped establish civilian reconstruction programs in Iraq and Afghanistan and development assistance programs throughout Middle East and East Asia.

Her other leadership positions at the State Department included 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 several postings as special assistant to the Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary for Political Affairs and Assistant Secretary for Asian Pacific Affairs. She served abroad in Morocco, Pakistan, Malaysia, Laos and Zaire (currently the Democratic Republic of Congo).

Her opinion pieces have been published in The Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Foreign Policy and McClatchy newspapers among others. In addition, she is frequently invited to comment on Pakistan and the Middle East on news programs such as The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC, FOX, NPR, Voice of America, and Al Jazeera.

Ambassador Chamberlin also lectures on Pakistan and regional security issues at think tanks, universities and international forums and has testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House of Representatives National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee.

She is a member of the Trilateral Commission. She also serves on the Executive Board of the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Chicago Council Global Agriculture Development Initiative. She is also a board member of the Hollings Center, American Charities for Palestine, Search for Common Ground, and the Global Heritage Diplomatic Advisory Board.

A graduate of Northwestern University, Chamberlin has a Master of Science in Education from Boston University and participated in the Executive Program at Harvard University. She holds an honorary PhD from Northwestern University.