Leadership & Staff

Amb. (ret.) Stuart E. Jones

Amb. (ret.) Stuart E. Jones

President

Dr. Susan E. Saxton

Dr. Susan E. Saxton

Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack

Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack

Vice President for Policy

Iraq Is Between Iran and a Hard Place

August 6, 2026

Kate Seelye

Kate Seelye

Vice President for Arts & Culture

Amb. (ret.) Yael Lempert

Amb. (ret.) Yael Lempert

Vice President for Outreach

Reflections on a Diplomatic Career in the Middle East: A Conversation With Ambassador Yael Lempert

September 3, 2026

Rick Somarriba

Rick Somarriba

Chief Financial Officer

Ariel Ahram

Ariel Ahram

Editor, The Middle East Journal

Zeina Al-Shaib

Zeina Al-Shaib

Senior Director of Communications and Events

Naade Ali

Naade Ali

Policy Center Research Assistant

Hamad Alshamlan

Hamad Alshamlan

Senior Research Assistant

Fiona Dajani Brummer

Fiona Dajani Brummer

Communications Coordinator

Emmett Colbert

Emmett Colbert

Associate Director for Corporate Relations

Matthew Czekaj

Matthew Czekaj

Managing Editor

Bailey Dressner

Bailey Dressner

Senior Communications and Media Coordinator

Ryan Farnes

Ryan Farnes

Multimedia and Digital Operations Manager

Eryn Gold

Eryn Gold

Policy Center Research Assistant

Amb. (ret.) Stuart E. Jones

Amb. (ret.) Stuart E. Jones

President

Rebecca Kelly

Rebecca Kelly

Chief of Staff, Executive Office

Ellie Knapman

Ellie Knapman

Associate Editor of The Middle East Journal

Ben Lefkowitz

Ben Lefkowitz

Executive Assistant, Policy Center

Amb. (ret.) Yael Lempert

Amb. (ret.) Yael Lempert

Vice President for Outreach

Reflections on a Diplomatic Career in the Middle East: A Conversation With Ambassador Yael Lempert

September 3, 2026

Ezra Mannix

Ezra Mannix

Communications & Outreach Manager

Athena Masthoff

Athena Masthoff

Senior Research Assistant

Charlotte Nash

Charlotte Nash

Program Associate, Arts & Culture

Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack

Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack

Vice President for Policy

Iraq Is Between Iran and a Hard Place

August 6, 2026

Maheen Safian

Maheen Safian

Senior Events Coordinator

Dr. Susan E. Saxton

Dr. Susan E. Saxton

Chief Operating Officer

Kate Seelye

Kate Seelye

Vice President for Arts & Culture

Nazlee Shahidzadeh

Nazlee Shahidzadeh

Assistant Director of Development

Lyne Sneige

Lyne Sneige

Senior Director of the Arts & Culture Center

Sahar Soleimany

Sahar Soleimany

Chief of Staff to the Vice President for Policy

Rick Somarriba

Rick Somarriba

Chief Financial Officer

Alistair Taylor

Alistair Taylor

Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, the Policy Center

Rebekah Wharton

Rebekah Wharton

Editor of Digital Publications