Career U.S. diplomat and distinguished academic will direct the institution’s public and cultural diplomacy programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ambassador Sharon P. Wilkinson will join Meridian International Center on September 1 as Senior Vice President. She will support President & CEO Ambassador Stuart W. Holliday in the overall management of the organization. She succeeds Ambassador Kenton Keith, who retired from Meridian in June 2010.

Ambassador Wilkinson brings an impressive 30 years in the Foreign Service to Meridian. Her career culminated in successive ambassadorial appointments to Burkina Faso and the Republic of Mozambique. Most recently she was the Assistant Dean for Global Engagement at Arizona State University, where she developed plans for meaningful international experiences for students and identified potential domestic and international institutional partners for the new School of Global Studies. She has also been a speaker on foreign policy issues at Syracuse University and New Mexico State University.

Prior to her assistant deanship at ASU, she was President of the World Affairs Council of Arizona, where she spearheaded a successful effort to increase visibility and membership, create new programs, and expand and diversify International Visitor Program professional resources. Ambassador Wilkinson received her BA in International Relations from Brown University and Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Chicago.

“The public and cultural diplomacy work of Meridian plays an important role in the long-term security and prosperity of the United States,” said Stuart Holliday, president and CEO of Meridian. “Ambassador Wilkinson’s remarkable expertise and credentials will benefit Meridian and our mission immensely as we work to discover the best solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges through leadership exchanges and international collaboration.”