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.

Larry will be responsible for designing, developing, and implementing knowledge management strategies, structures, and best practices across Amideast’s global operations and programs. He will play an instrumental role in shaping and driving Amideast’s organizational approach to knowledge management and promoting a culture of continuous collaboration and innovation. Larry will lead the development of a knowledge management strategy to include digital tools, staff training, and policies to establish and to maintain an organization-wide knowledge management system.

F. Gregory Gause III is Professor of International Affairs and John H.

Mr. Jonathan McKay currently serves as the Head of Growth at OpenAI, where he is 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.

Dr. Meriem Guetat is an experienced professional in international education and program management. Currently serving as the Director of Programs at Amideast, she brings over a decade of hands-on experience from her work in North Africa. In her present role, she oversees a diverse range of educational and training programs across the organization as well as manages the implementation of Amideast proprietary exchange programs. Before her current position, Dr.

Ms. Dena H. Elkhatib is the general counsel for Riyadh Air. 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. James T. Grabowski serves as Amideast's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this capacity, he is responsible overseeing and optimizing Amideast’s day-to-day operations and for leading technology-driven efficiency, growth, and profitability. He devises strategies for Amideast’s growth and success and turns them into actionable plans and initiatives.

Ms.

As the Director of Risk Management, Assets, and Facilities, Mr. Jay Makdissi is responsible for all aspects of risk management, including physical and technical security and safety at our U.S. and international facilities. 

Mr. Ayad Zein has been supporting the Fulbright Program in different capacities for 16 years. As Director of the Fulbright Program, he oversees Amideast staff at our Washington, DC headquarters and in the MENA region who support the Fulbright Foreign Student program and Amideast’s administration of the program.