Liz Cheney
Political Commentator, Chairman of the Board, Institute for the Study of War, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
WHEN: Thursday, December 2, 2010
12:00PM – 1:15PM
WHERE: Stemmons Ballroom, Hilton Anatole Hotel
2201 Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, Texas 75207
Anatole valet parking is available at the Atrium entrance at $16; self-parking is available in Lots 1, 2, and 3 at $9.
On December 2, the NCPA welcomes Liz Cheney, a leading voice in the debate about the future of American foreign and national security policy as a part of the Hatton W. Sumners Distinguished Lecture Series. Her experience in government, the private sector and American politics over the last 20 years have given her a unique insight into a wide range of critical issues facing the United States today. During the Bush Administration, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East, where she established and managed programs to empower women and bring economic, political and educational reform to the Arab World.
About Liz Cheney
Liz Cheney is an attorney and specialist in U.S. Middle East policy. From 2005-2006, she was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. In this capacity, she was the second-ranking State Department official responsible for U.S. policy in the Middle East. Ms. Cheney was also the Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives, overseeing US Government efforts to promote economic and political reform in the Middle East.
Prior to that, Ms. Cheney served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from 2002 to 2004. She was responsible for the establishment of the $300 million Middle East Partnership Initiative to support political, economic and educational reform and the empowerment of women in the Middle East.
Ms. Cheney practiced law at White & Case LLP in the area of international project finance from 1996 to 1999. From 1999 to 2002 she served on assignment with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group. At IFC, Ms. Cheney provided legal advice with respect to investments in the Middle East and Central Asia. She also designed and managed economic assistance projects in Egypt.
Ms. Cheney served previously at the Department of State and at the Agency for International Development from 1989 to 1993. At AID, Ms. Cheney was Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator for Asia and the Near East. Her responsibilities included the design and management of U.S. assistance projects in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. She served in the US Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, as interim A.I.D. Representative in Warsaw, Poland and as A.I.D. Desk Officer for China.
In 1992, she became Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State with responsibility for U.S. assistance projects to the former Soviet Union in the areas of privatization, financial sector reform, and defense conversion.
During the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns, Ms. Cheney managed vice presidential debate preparation and served as a national surrogate for the Bush-Cheney campaign. Ms. Cheney has also served as a consultant and election observer with the International Republican Institute, managing election assistance projects in Kenya and Uganda.
She is currently collaborating with Vice President Cheney on his memoirs, covering 40 years of his career in Washington. She is also a member of the International Board of Visitors at the University of Wyoming, and chairman of the board of the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, DC.
Ms. Cheney earned her law degree from the University of Chicago in 1996 and her bachelor's degree from the Colorado College in 1988. She is married to Philip J. Perry and they have five children.