State Department Official Visits Lebanon to Review Programs for Civil Society, Education and Youth

March 30, 2009

Madelyn E. Spirnak, U.S. Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, is visiting Lebanon.  Ms. Spirnak is responsible for overseeing the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) initiative, and the Near East Bureau’s Press and Public Diplomacy Office.   Ms. Sprinak and Ambassador Michele J. Sison will be meeting with several individuals and organizations funded by MEPI as well as visiting U.S. Public Diplomacy initiatives.

Ms. Spirnak has held key positions in the Department of State and the Executive Office of the President in support of U.S. trade and development policy in the Near East.  She was instrumental in formulating the initial framework for MEPI when she was the Senior Advisor for Economic Affairs in the Near East Bureau.   She has negotiated Trade and Investment Framework Agreements with Jordan and Egypt, and led the process for designating Qualifying Investment Zones.  She has served as the Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U. S. Embassy in Dublin.  Ms. Spirnak has also served in several economic related positions, two tours in Ankara, Turkey, and in Berlin, Germany.