ABOUT THE GUESTS
Ambassador
Robin
Raphel
Former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia (1993-1997) & Ambassador to Tunisia (1997-2000)
Robin L. Raphel is an expert in political, security, and economic development issues in South Asia and the Middle East. As a career Foreign Service officer, she worked for nearly 40 years in foreign affairs agencies, including the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, and U.S. Department of Defense. She has served as assistant secretary of state for South Asia, ambassador to Tunisia, vice president of the National Defense University, and deputy special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. She managed the sharp increase of development assistance to Pakistan under the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and she deployed to Iraq with the first civilian contingent after the 2003 invasion to help restore the critical food ration system throughout the country. Earlier in her career, she served in Pakistan, India, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, and she taught history at Damavand Women’s College in Iran. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the board of the Association of Diplomatic Studies and Training. Ambassador Raphel holds a B.A. degree in history and economics from the University of Washington and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Maryland and modern European history from Cambridge University.
Ambassador
Richard
Olson
Former Ambassador to Pakistan (2012-2015), special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (2015-2016)
Ambassador Richard Olson is a retired U.S. foreign service officer. His final assignment was as U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP). From 2012 to 2015, he was the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan. Olson served as the coordinating director for development and economic affairs at U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, from 2011 to 2012. He was U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2008 to 2011. Olson joined the U.S. Department of State in 1982. He served in Mexico, Uganda, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates (both Abu Dhabi and Dubai), and Najaf, Iraq. He was also deputy chief of mission at the United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). His Washington assignments included: State Department Operations Center (twice), NATO desk, the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs (twice, including as director), and the Office of Iraqi Affairs, including as director.
Raza
Bokhari
North American Point of Contact for former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf
Raza currently serves as the Managing Partner of RBx Capital, LP, a private equity fund in formation that is focused on investing in all segments of the US laboratory testing market, including pharmacogenomics enabled personalized medicine. Raza also volunteers his time as President Musharraf’s North American Point of Contact. He was elected as the National President for the Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC) for the years 2006-07. He currently serves on the Board of Temple University’s Fox School of Business and Management, as Chairman of the Executive Advisory Committee. He is also Vice Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia and a Trustee of the esteemed Foreign Policy Research Institute.