Washington, D.C. — On Monday night, the United States Senate confirmed Barbara A. Leaf as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), vice the Honorable Michael H. Corbin. Ms. Leaf, a career Foreign Service Officer and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Arabian Peninsula, will assume her new post in the coming weeks. Ms. Leaf was nominated by President Barack Obama for the ambassadorial position in July.

“On behalf of our Board of Directors and member companies, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council sincerely congratulates Ambassador Barbara Leaf, a career diplomat and champion of strong U.S. relations with the U.A.E.,” said Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council. “The Council had the honor of hosting Ambassador Leaf earlier this year and looks forward to working with the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and U.S. Consulate in Dubai under her leadership to amplify business-to-government engagement.”

The Council is immensely grateful to Ambassador Corbin for his tireless work as a chief advocate for U.S.-U.A.E. business over the past three years and wishes him well in his next endeavor.”

The Honorable Barbara Leaf
Incoming U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
U.S. Department of State

Barbara A. Leaf was confirmed as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates on November 17th. Previously she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; assuming the post on May 6, 2013. Prior to her current assignment, she was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq Affairs from 2011-2013. Ms. Leaf directed the U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team in the strategic province of Basrah, Iraq from 2010-2011, leaving an assignment as Political Minister Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy, to oversee the PRT’s transition to a U.S. Consulate General. Prior to Rome, Ms. Leaf served as the first Director of the Department of State’s Office of Iranian Affairs. The new office was announced by Secretary of State Rice in March 2006, as part of a wider initiative to bring policy focus to bear on Iran, rebuild a cadre of language and country expertise within the Department, and substantially increase people-to-people exchanges between the United States and Iran. In addition to the country affairs office, Ms. Leaf directed the activities of a network of new “Iran watcher” positions in U.S. embassies abroad, as well as the new Iran Regional Presence Post in Dubai, U.A.E.

Prior to this assignment, from 2004-2006 Ms. Leaf served as Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, where she helped advance key U.S. policy goals on democratization and political reform, counter-terrorism, and regional reintegration among the former combatant states of the former Yugoslavia. From 2003-2004, she directed the Regional Headquarters of the Office of the High Representative (OHR), in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, enforcing local implementation of civilian aspects of the Dayton peace accords, including the return of refugees to areas from which they had been ethnically cleansed.

From 2001 to 2003 Ms. Leaf served as Advisor to the Department’s Medical Director, in a position created in the wake of September 11 to develop medical and security programs to counter and respond to chemical/biological/nuclear threats to U.S. diplomatic installations abroad.

From 1996-2000, Ms. Leaf served as the Department’s Middle East “Watcher” at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, reporting on French policies on Iraq, Iran, the Arab-Israeli dispute, Libya, and terrorism issues.

Ms. Leaf’s previous tours include assignments in Cairo, as Kuwait Desk Officer during the first Gulf War, Jerusalem, the Department’s Operations Center, and Port-au-Prince.

Ms. Leaf is a member of the Senior Foreign Service. She has received six Superior Honor and two Meritorious Honor Awards. She received her B.A. in Government from the College of William and Mary and a Master’s Degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, with a focus on Soviet Affairs.

Ms. Leaf speaks and reads Arabic, French, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian. She is married and has two daughters.