AMBASSADOR ROBERT FORD TO SPEAK AT THE UNIVERSALIST UNITARIAN CONGREGATION OF ST. JOHNSBURY ABOUT THE REFUGEE CRISIS IN SYRIA

The Universalist Unitarian Congregation of St. Johnsbury is pleased to announce that Robert Ford, former Ambassador to Syria, will be speaking on Sunday, July 16, at 10:30 am about the Syrian refugee crisis. Ambassador Ford’s talk, followed by a question and answer period, is part of the church’s Summer Conversations series.

Ambassador Robert S. Ford is now a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington where he writes and speaks about Iraq, Syria and North Africa. He is also a fellow at Yale University Jackson Institute where he teaches about Arab politics and diplomacy.

Ford served thirty years in the State Department and Peace Corps, finishing his career as the U.S. Ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014. For his leadership of the American Embassy in Damascus he received a Presidential Honor award in 2012, and for his work on Syria he received in 2014 the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, the State Department's highest award. For his defense of human rights in Syria, he received from the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston the 2012 Profile in Courage award.

In September 2015 he received the Mark Palmer Award from the Community of Democracies on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly for his work supporting democracy during his career.

Ford also served as the U.S. Ambassador to Algeria (2006-2008) where he boosted bilateral cooperation in fields such as education and rule of law.

He served three times in Iraq between 2003 and 2010, including as the Ambassador’s senior political advisor during the tumultuous elections and stand-up of the new, permanent Iraqi government 2004-2006. Later, as Deputy Ambassador in Iraq 2008-2010 he assembled a government team that devised the logistical and security plans the new Obama administration used to establish American diplomatic posts in Iraq after the withdrawal of U.S. military forces.

As Deputy Ambassador in Bahrain 2001-2003 Ford led the Embassy team that helped negotiate a free trade agreement with Bahrain, the first of free trade deal with a Persian Gulf state. Ford also served in Cameroon, in Algeria 1994-1997 during the civil war there, in Egypt and Turkey and in domestic assignments at the U.S. Department of State in Washington. He started his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco 1980-1982. He speaks fluent Arabic and French. Ford has a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.

Ford has appeared on CNN, NBC, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, the BBC and in Arabic language interviews on Arab networks. His wife, Alison Barkley, is also a retired Foreign Service Officer, and they make their home in Vermont.

The UU Congregation of St. Johnsbury is located at 47 Cherry Street. Directions to the church may be found on our website, www.stjuuc.org, or by calling the church office at 802-748-2442.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The Reverend Susan-Lynn Johns
reflectionsforuu@gmail.com
802-424-1380