We are pleased to announce that U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malta, Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, will be the Thursday plenary speaker for the 2013 IES Abroad Annual Conference.
Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley joined the Foreign Service in 1985, and served as Consul in Baghdad, before being posted to Jakarta and Cairo. She then served as Special Assistant for Middle Eastern and African Affairs to Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger. The Ambassador will provide insights on the limitations and opportunities security issues place on diplomacy, particularly on the public diplomacy of students studying abroad.
In her extensive and varied career, Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley has served as Political Officer in Tel Aviv, with responsibility for the Gaza Strip, was posted as Director of the Office of Egypt and the Levant where she handled the countries of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan, and served as Chairwoman for Middle East Area Studies at the Foreign Service Institute. She also held the position of Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism.
In addition, she has served as Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Policy Advisor to the Director of the Near East–South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the Department of Defense; Senior Advisor for Middle Eastern Affairs at USUN; Director for Near East South Asian Affairs with responsibility for the Arabian Peninsula at the National Security Council of the White House; and Director for Legislative Affairs, also at the NSC.
Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley was the recipient of Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards, including one "For acts of courage during an attack on the U.S. Consulate General, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on December 6, 2004, by al-Qa'ida terrorists."
Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley has a Bachelor’s degree from George Washington University, a Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She served on the Boards of the International Career Advancement Association and the Forum for Education Abroad.
