Ambassador Adam Ereli serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The mission of the Bureau is to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives through educational and cultural programs that enhance mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other nations. As Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Ambassador Ereli manages these programs, which comprises a budget of $635 million and a staff of over 400 employees.
Ambassador Ereli has worked extensively as a diplomat abroad and at senior levels in the Department of State in Washington. He was Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain from 2007-2011. From 2006-2007, he served as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy. Ambassador Ereli was Deputy Spokesman of the State Department from 2003-2006 and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Qatar from 2000-2003. Other overseas assignments have included Yemen, Ethiopia, Syria, and Egypt.
Ambassador Ereli earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a Master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Before joining the diplomatic service, Ambassador Ereli lived in Paris, France, where he worked as a journalist and the director of a human rights NGO. Ambassador Ereli speaks French and Arabic.
