October 9, 2025 — New York, NY
American Jewish Committee (AJC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Dreazen, formerly a senior Middle East policy official in the U.S. Department of Defense, as Vice President and Director of the AJC Center for a New Middle East. She will assume her post, working from the organization’s Washington, D.C., office, on October 20, 2025.
“At a time when the Middle East is undergoing profound challenges and transformations, the work of AJC’s Center for a New Middle East has never been more vital,” said Dreazen. “I’m honored and excited to join this extraordinary team working to advance the peace and security of Israel and its neighbors, to strengthen diplomatic, economic, and civil society partnerships, and to shape a more hopeful future for the region.”
Dreazen comes to AJC after 15 years in increasingly responsible positions at the Defense Department, most recently as Principal Director for Middle East Policy, the top career civilian official overseeing Middle East regional policy.
“As we build out our Center for a New Middle East, an initiative launched by our CEO Ted Deutch in 2024 to expand and capitalize on AJC’s decades-long engagement across the Middle East and North Africa and advance Israel’s full integration in the region, we are thrilled to have Anne Dreazen at the Center’s helm,” said AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson. “Anne brings a wealth of experience in national security and defense policy to this position, and deep familiarity with the priorities and principals guiding regional strategic affairs. After her distinguished career in the U.S. national security establishment, AJC looks forward to her guidance in shaping our efforts to widen the circle of Arab-Israeli peace.”
As the Pentagon’s Principal Director for Middle East Policy under Democratic and Republican administrations, Dreazen facilitated U.S. defense cooperation with partners including Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, and was a trusted advisor to Department of Defense senior leaders.
Dreazen held a wide range of roles in the Department, including as Director for Israel, Egypt, and the Levant; Director for Iraq; Country Director for Lebanon and Iran; and Deputy Director for Cooperative Threat Reduction Policy. She also served as a National Security Fellow in the U.S. Senate. Early in her career, she spent seven months in Iraq’s Anbar Province supporting U.S. reconstruction efforts following Operation Iraqi Freedom, working on the ground alongside U.S. forces and Iraqi civil society.
Dreazen holds a master’s degree in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins SAIS, a master’s in War Studies from King’s College London (where she was a Fulbright Scholar), and a bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University. She received some of the highest civilian honors in the Department of Defense, including the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service (awarded to her three times), the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Award for support to the Ukraine Crisis, and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Support to the Global War on Terror.
Bringing together decades of trust, international architecture, and multifaceted programs, the AJC Center for a New Middle East builds bridges, shapes policies, and instills the hope needed to truly create a new Middle East. Through its permanent presence in Washington, D.C., Jerusalem, and Abu Dhabi, as well as constant travel to the region, AJC actively engages leaders from across the Middle East, including through high-level gatherings in Israel, UAE, and its 25 U.S.-based offices that bring together Arab and Israeli partners committed to new opportunities to work together. For more, please visit www.ajc.org/cnme.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
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