Dr. Patrick Clawson named Morningstar Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Dr. Patrick Clawson, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s director of research, has been named the Morningstar Senior Fellow, the organization announced today.

Made possible by the generosity of Institute Trustees Susie and Michael Gelman of Chevy Chase, MD, this multiyear grant ensures that Dr. Clawson can continue to conduct cutting-edge scholarship while he supervises the Institute’s multifaceted research program.

“We are thrilled that the Gelmans have chosen to play a key role in our efforts to improve the quality of U.S. Middle East policy,” said Dr. Robert Satloff, Institute Executive Director and the Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in U.S. Middle East Policy.“This gift acknowledges both Patrick’s past contributions and potential to advance America's national security interests through ideas, research, and scholarship.”

"Susie and Michael are deeply committed to the Institute's mission to advance U.S. interests in security and peace in the Middle East," said Dr. Clawson. "I am proud that my fellowship is supported by these exemplary Institute Trustees."

In addition to serving as the Washington Institute’s director of research, Dr. Clawson directs the Institute’s Iran Security Initiative, a flagship program focused on assessing the many points of challenge Iran poses to U.S. and Western interest across the Middle East. Widely consulted as an analyst and media commentator, he has authored more than 150 articles about the Middle East and international economics and is the author or editor of eighteen books or studies on Iran. Prior to joining The Washington Institute, he was a senior research professor at the National Defense University's Institute for National Strategic Studies, a senior economist at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and a research scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. A graduate of Oberlin College, he has a PhD in economics from the New School for Social Research.

"Supporting The Washington Institute is one of the most effective ways to strengthen American policy in the Middle East," the Gelmans noted. "We are delighted to underwrite the fellowship of such an outstanding policy expert as Patrick Clawson, whom we have known and respected for many years for his expertise, analysis, and insightfulness."

The Gelmans are involved with many philanthropic organizations locally, nationally, and internationally. An attorney by training, Ms. Gelman has served in numerous nonprofit leadership roles, including three terms as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and two terms as president of Georgetown Day School. She was the inaugural chair of the Birthright Israel Foundation and continues to serve on its board and on the Birthright Israel Planning Committee. She co-chairs the Israel Religious Expressions Platform (iRep) of the Jewish Federations of North America, in addition to serving on the boards of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Goldman Environmental Foundation. Mr. Gelman, a member of the Institute Board of Directors, is a founding partner of the accounting firm Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman. He is a former chair of the Executive Committee of Jewish Federations of North America and currently serves on several nonprofit boards. He was appointed by Maryland’s governor to the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents, serving from 1996 to 2000. He has served three terms as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and was a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council from 1995-2004, having been appointed by President Bill Clinton. Both Gelmans co-chaired the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America in Jerusalem, Israel in 2003 and again in 2013.

About the Institute: The Washington Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution that seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them. Drawing on the research of its fellows and the experience of its policy practitioners, the Institute promotes informed debate and scholarly research on U.S. policy in the region.