AmCham Abu Dhabi’s U.S. Public Affairs Committee and the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council will co-host Ambassador Anne W. Patterson, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, in Washington, D.C.  The lunch event will provide public and private sector stakeholders with a unique opportunity to hear about the State Department’s engagement with key partners in the region – following a recent trip by Secretary Kerry to Abu Dhabi – and to hear Ambassador Patterson’s take on the impact of political and economic trends on U.S. business in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.  For your reference, Ambassador Patterson’s biography can be found below.

Ambassador Anne W. Patterson
Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Ambassador Anne W. Patterson is a career diplomat, who currently serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs.

Prior to returning to Washington for this assignment, Ambassador Patterson served as United States Ambassador to Egypt (2011-2013) and as Ambassador to Pakistan (2007-2010). She has served the State Department as Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Deputy Permanent Representative at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and as the State Department’s Deputy Inspector General. She has also served as Ambassador to Colombia (2000-2003) and as Ambassador to El Salvador (1997-2000).
In 2008, Ambassador Patterson was promoted to the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the Foreign Service. She has been awarded the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award twice, in 2008 and 2010, the Ryan Crocker Award for Expeditionary Diplomacy in 2010, and was named one of Foreign Policy magazine’s Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2011.

A native of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Ambassador Patterson graduated from Wellesley College.