Amideast mourns the passing on January 6, 2014, of its former president, Orin Dean Parker, a man of dedication and conviction whose career at Amideast spanned more than a quarter century and whose legacy is still felt in its commitment to expanding opportunity through education and training and to strengthening understanding between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa. 
Orin Parker joined Amideast in 1960 as the director of its office in Baghdad, Iraq, and quickly moved into positions of increasing responsibility. After five years in Baghdad, he returned to the organization’s Washington, D.C., headquarters to become programs director. In 1967, he rose to the position of executive vice president for administration and, beginning in 1971, spent seven years in Beirut, Lebanon, carrying out the duties of vice president, overseas director and field office director. He was appointed president of Amideast in 1979, serving in that capacity until October 1988.
Orin Parker’s contribution to Amideast was considerable. By the time of his retirement, Amideast was gaining credit for its role in Partners for International Education and Training (PIET), a multi-country USAID training project that was Amideast’s largest activity at the time. Amideast’s connection to the prestigious Fulbright Program — the U.S. Department of State’s flagship exchange program — was growing. And, of particular note, the West Bank/Gaza Human Resource Development Project, another USAID initiative, continued to operate despite the virtual shut down of educational institutions in the occupied territories. Other activities at the time included many that are staples of Amideast’s operations today, including testing, advising services, and a variety of projects on behalf of public and private sponsors.
Orin Parker’s work with Amideast was recognized by the U.S. Information Agency, which awarded him its Certificate of Appreciation “for [his] outstanding contribution to USIA’s exchange activities.” In making the award, the USIA noted, “Through your innovative, dedicated, and courageous administration of the Fulbright Academic Program with countries of the Middle East and your direction of the overseas counseling program in that region, you have increased mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the peoples of other countries.” He was also honored by the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA) as one of 40 Americans who had impacted foreign student affairs in a major way.
Long-serving Amideast board member, H.E., Dr. Leila Sharaf, recalls that he felt a special connection to the Middle East region and was committed to promoting friendship between the Middle East and the United States in a most positive and constructive way. “He always projected a good image of the United States and was supportive of the causes and struggles of the peoples of the region. He recognized their sufferings and was concerned about the human tragedies that he saw unfolding. His concerns were human rights, stability, development, and helping the poor.”
“We at Amideast —those who knew him personally and the many by now who didn’t—owe a debt of gratitude to him for his wise and dedicated stewardship, which in many ways laid the foundation for our current achievements,” said current Amideast President and CEO Theodore H. Kattouf. “He will also be remembered for his dedication to peace and international understanding, ideals which lie at the core of Amideast’s longstanding mission.”
