Washington Institute Senior Fellow Dana Stroul Joins the Biden Administration

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Dr. Robert Satloff, executive director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, today released the following statement:  

“The Washington Institute congratulates Shelly and Michael Kassen Fellow Dana Stroul on her appointment as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East in the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy, the Pentagon’s most senior position with specific responsibility for the Middle East. She has been on leave from the Institute since the election working with the Biden transition team to set up the new administration.

“Dana brings outstanding credentials to her new role. Before joining the Institute in 2018, she served for five years as a senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where she covered the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey. Dana previously worked in the Middle East policy office of the Secretary of Defense and at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, among other positions.

“The capstone of Dana’s work at the Institute was her collaboration with Managing Director Michael Singh as co-chairs of the Syria Study Group, a congressionally appointed bipartisan panel that assessed U.S. policy toward the Syria conflict and recommended new approaches. Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike applauded their  2019 final report.

“We will certainly miss Dana’s keen insights and penetrating analysis, but we are comforted in the knowledge that she will be employing her expertise for the greater good of our country. This is just the latest milestone in what will certainly be the long and stellar career of a talented policymaker.”

Media Contact: Erika Naegeli, 202-230-9550, email.