His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Sa’ud served as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States from 2005 to 2007. From 1977 to 2001, he served as the Director General of the General Intelligence Directorate, the Kingdom’s main foreign intelligence service. Prince Turki is one of the founders of the King Faisal Foundation and is the Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. Prince Turki serves as a member of the Boards of Trustees of the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies.

General Lloyd J. Austin III assumed command of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which has a wide-ranging area of responsibility for 20 countries in the Middle East and southwest Asia, on March 22, 2013. He was previously the 33d Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. General Austin led the 3rd Infantry Division in the opening months of the Iraq war where he earned a Silver Star for valor. He later commanded divisions in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and commanded U.S. Forces-Iraq from September 2010 through the completion of the mission in December 2011.

Ambassador James B. Smith was sworn in on September 16, 2009, as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Smith had served in a variety of executive positions with Raytheon Company involving corporate strategic planning, aircraft manufacturing, and international business development. Ambassador Smith spent a 28 year career in the United States Air Force. He was promoted to Brigadier General in October, 1998, and retired from the Air Force on October 1, 2002.

His Excellency Mohamed Bin Abdulla Al-Rumaihi presented his credentials as Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the United States to President Barack Obama on May 3, 2012. Prior to his posting in Washington, H.E. Mohamed Al-Rumaihi served as Qatar’s Assistant Foreign Minister for Follow-Up Affairs, a position he was appointed to in 2003. Ambassador Al-Rumaihi was elevated to ministerial-rank in 2010. During this time, he also headed the Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences and the Government Committee for Delineating Maritime Borders.

Ms. Randa Fahmy Hudome is a member of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ Board of Directors. She is the President of Fahmy Hudome International (FHI), a strategic consulting firm which provides critical advice and counsel to Fortune 500 companies, foreign governments, media organizations, and private sector entities with business interests in the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to founding FHI, Ms. Fahmy Hudome served as the United States Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy under President George W. Bush.

Ambassador Chas. W. Freeman, Jr. is President Emeritus of the Middle East Policy Council. He served as United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (1993-94), earning the Department of Defense’s highest public service awards for his roles in designing a NATO-centered post-Cold War European security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China. Ambassador Freeman is Chairman of the Board of Projects International, Inc., a Washington, DC-based business development firm.

Dr. Herman Franssen is Executive Director of the Energy Intelligence Group. He is also President of International Energy Associates, a Distinguished Associate with Fesharaki & Associates, a Senior Associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Visiting Fellow of the Centre for Global Energy Studies, and a Senior Fellow of Middle East Consultants. Dr. Franssen was Senior Economic Advisor of H.E. the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals of the Sultanate of Oman (1985-1996) and in this capacity helped organize IPEC (Independent Petroleum Exporting Countries).

Ambassador Patrick N. Theros served as U.S. Ambassador to Qatar from 1995 to 1998. He is currently the President and Executive Director of the US-Qatar Business Council, the key trade facilitation organization between the United States and Qatar. Prior to his posting in Doha, Ambassador Theros served as the Acting Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism at the State Department. He also served in a number of other diplomatic positions, including Political Advisor to US Central Command, Charge d’ Affaires in the UAE and Jordan, as well as in senior positions in Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon.

Ambassador Ford M. Fraker served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2007 to 2009, spanning both the George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama administrations. He has more than 30 years of experience in banking, finance, and investment in the Middle East. Ambassador Fraker currently serves as Senior Advisor to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) and as Chairman, KKR Middle East and North Africa; Senior Advisor to Trinity Group Limited; and is a member of the Middle East Advisory Board of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).