Ambassador (ret.) Greta C. Holtz joined Amideast in August 2023, following 35 years as a career diplomat with extensive experience in the Middle East and North Africa. She served as the U.S. Ambassador to Oman from 2012 to 2015, the Chargé d'affaires in Qatar from 2020-2021, and the Minister-Counselor for Provincial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad from 2009 to 2010.
Ms. Dana Al-Ajlani is currently Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at Eli Lilly, with close to 20 years’ experience in public and government affairs. She is a strong leader who held different positions in the corporate and nonprofit industries.
Ambassador (Retired) Alina L. Romanowski advises clients in the areas of national security policy, federal government programs, geopolitical risk, and Middle East affairs. Prior to retiring from government service, Ambassador Romanowski served as U.S. Ambassador to Iraq from March 2022 to December 2024 and as U.S. Ambassador to the State of Kuwait from January 2020 to March 2022. Prior to her Ambassadorial appointments, she served as the Department of State’s Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, where she oversaw the coordination and integration of U.S.
Ambassador (ret.) Michael Ratney served for over three decades as a distinguished U.S. diplomat, most recently as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Amb. Ratney served as the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem, as the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Israel, as well as postings in Baghdad, Beirut, Casablanca, Doha, Mexico City, Tunis, Bridgetown, and Washington DC. Over his career, Amb. Ratney has been at the center of high-profile diplomatic initiatives throughout the Middle East, including as U.S. Special Envoy for Syria.
F. Gregory Gause III is Professor of International Affairs and John H.
Mr. Jonathan McKay currently serves as the Vice President Product at Microsoft. Previously he was Head of Growth at OpenAI, where he was responsible for driving user and revenue growth for ChatGPT. His responsibilities also extend to the strategic allocation of the GPU fleet and developing product infrastructure to support GPU allocation, internationalization, and comprehensive A/B testing initiatives across ChatGPT platforms.
Ms. Dena H. Elkhatib is the executive director of the King Salman Park Foundation, Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.. She is a transactional lawyer with over 20 years of experience and a specialty in high-value transactions in various sectors, including banking and aviation. Her experiences include aircraft portfolio acquisition/sales, finance/operating leases, debt financing, and restructuring transactions.
Mr. Hussam Abu Issa has distinguished himself in a variety of fields, including entrepreneurship, business, finance, philanthropy, and intercultural relations. His interests lie in promoting higher education, research on health issues, and inter-Arab trade and investment. He is a regular attendee of various international forums and council meetings.
Ms. Erica Pelletreau is a Philanthropic Consultant, researching and building dynamic playbook for foundations and NGOs to leverage AI to advance communications outcomes. She leads inquiries and designs strategic campaigns to build bridges and reduce polarization. Ms. Pelletreau chairs Amideast’s governance and nominating committee and the board of The Communications Network. Previously she led social justice communications for the Empire State Pride Agenda, PolicyLink, Physicians for Reproductive Health, and the ACLU. Ms.
Dr. Hanine Salem is a senior strategist and established public sector expert with over 20 years of executive level working experience in the field of education, higher education and human capital development. Throughout her career, she has been advising heads of states, prime ministers, ministers and public sector officials in areas related to her field of expertise.
