Dr. Cynthia P. Schneider USA
Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Senior Non Resident Fellow, Brookings Institution, Former Ambassador to the Netherlands, USA.an expert on cultural diplomacy, teaches, publishes, and organizes initiatives in the field of cultural diplomacy with a focus on relations with the Muslim world. She leads the Arts and Culture Dialogue Initiative within the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, and is a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University. Schneider served as U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1998-2001, in which position she led initiatives in public and cultural diplomacy, biotechnology, cyber security, and military affairs. From 1994-1998, she served as Vice Chair of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. As head of the Arts and Culture Dialogue Initiative within the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, Schneider seeks to maximize the potential of arts and culture to increase understanding between the United States and the Muslim world.