Institute Names Longtime Director Dr. Robert Satloff 2023 Scholar-Statesman
Nov 27, 2023
Pays tribute to community leaders Shelly and Michael Kassen
(Washington, D.C. - November 21, 2023 ) With nearly 400 well-wishers packing the Plaza ballroom in New York City, The Washington Institute presented its prestigious 2023 Scholar-Statesman Award on November 16 to Dr. Robert Satloff in recognition of his thirty years at the helm of the organization. Dr. Satloff, the Institute’s Segal Executive Director and Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in U.S. Middle East Policy, joins a list of eminent Scholar-Statesman recipients that includes U.S. President Bill Clinton, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, and King Abdullah II ibn Hussein of Jordan.
The Institute also paid tribute to Board Chairman Shelly Kassen, the former president of the Institute, and her husband, Michael Kassen, for their decades of farsighted communal leadership.
The program opened with a solemn moment of silence, in memory of all those killed in the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7 as well as the Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians who have died in the war against Hamas since then. In a special highlight, the program featured a joint musical performance by an Israeli and Emirati vocal duo, Nicole Raviv and Ahmed al-Hosani. This was the first time these accomplished singers have ever performed together in America. During the event, Satloff was interviewed by columnist, podcaster, and political advisor Dan Senor, the author of the recent book, The Genius of Israel.
Watch a video of Senor and Satloff's conversation.
The Scholar-Statesman Award was established in 2007 to celebrate outstanding leaders who, through their public service and professional achievements, exemplify the idea that sound scholarship and a discerning knowledge of history are essential to wise and effective policy and the advancement of peace and security in the Middle East. For more on the Scholar-Statesman Award, visit here.
In a special video for the event, former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger — the 2008 Scholar-Statesman honoree — sent this congratulatory message to Dr. Satloff: “Rob has been both a leading scholar for this crucial region and an inspiration to foreign policymakers. From an early age Rob has dedicated himself to the history, language, and culture of the Middle East. I thank Rob Satloff for having devoted thirty years of his life to this great task.”
Dr. Satloff joined the Institute in 1985 as a research fellow and was named executive director in 1993. The author or editor of nine books and monographs, his views on Middle East issues appear frequently in major newspapers and he is a frequent commentator on major television network news programs and talk shows. He is the author of the bestselling book, Among the Righteous: Lost Stories of the Holocaust's Long Reach into Arab Lands (PublicAffairs, 2006) which was made into a 2010 PBS documentary of the same name. In addition, Rob is the creator and host of Dakhil Washington ("Inside Washington"), a news and interview program that has appeared weekly since 2005 on al-Hurra, the U.S. government-supported Arabic satellite television channel that beams throughout the Middle East. Rob received his undergraduate degree from Duke University, master’s from Harvard University and doctorate from the University of Oxford.
Institute Trustee Roger Hertog presented an award to the Kassens for their outstanding leadership of the Institute and other civic organizations, praising Shelly for “uncommon character and courage” and Michael for his “quiet and searching intellect.”
Watch a video of the presentation.
A longtime supporter of The Washington Institute and a member of the Board of Directors since 2008, Shelly Kassen served as president from 2016-2020, and is currently chairman of the Board of Trustees. She also serves as a co-chair of the advisory board of the Tikvah Fund. A former CPA and private industry controller, Ms. Kassen received an MBA from Harvard University. Michael Kassen, a private investor, began his career at Fidelity Management and Research and, subsequently moved to Neuberger Berman, where he served as chief investment officer from 1999 to 2002. He is a past president and chairman of AIPAC, now serving on its board of directors. He also served on the board of the Jewish Communal Fund and on the investment committee of the UJA-Federation of New York. Mr. Kassen is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.
Media Contact: Anna Brown, 202-230-9550, email.
About The Washington Institute: The Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution funded exclusively by U.S. citizens 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.