The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a luncheon and discussion with Timothy A. Lenderking, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Peninsula Affairs and Regional Multilateral Affairs, on Wednesday February 21st in Washington, D.C. Mr. Lenderking was joined by senior-level business executives and U.S. and U.A.E. government officials, including representatives from the U.S. Department of State’s Expo Unit, which manages U.S. engagement with the Bureau of International Expositions, organizes U.S. participation at overseas Expos, and mobilizes international support for U.S. candidacies to host Expos.
Left to Right: Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council with Timothy Lenderking, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Peninsula Affairs and Regional Multilateral Affairs, and Jim Core, Expo Unit Director at the U.S. Department of State
Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, highlighted the overall U.S.-U.A.E. bilateral relationship and stressed the U.A.E.’s role as a provider of security and stability in lock-step with America’s interests in the region. He also applauded the U.A.E.’s forward-thinking leadership, which brought the Expo to the Middle East for the first time in history.
In his keynote remarks, Mr. Lenderking offered in-depth insights into the U.S. Department of State’s priorities for 2018 in the Emirates as well as recent regional developments. He also updated attendees about U.S. participation in Expo 2020 Dubai and the U.S. Pavilion.
On February 16, 2018, the U.S. Department of State announced a Request for Proposal in the Federal Register (#2018-03116) for the fundraising, project management, design, construction, and operation of a U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council will serve as the Expo Unit’s strategic partner and co-host a series of virtual and in-person information sessions in New York, Houston, Detroit, and San Francisco throughout the month of March to help raise awareness regarding opportunities for partnership with the U.S. pavilion. For more information on these events, please visit https://www.state.gov/r/expo/
“The U.S. and U.A.E. have had a deep-rooted relationship for decades and this relationship continues to grow under the current U.S. Administration.” “Expo 2020 Dubai will be the region’s most important commercial and public diplomacy event of the decade and the U.S. pavilion will highlight American ingenuity and leadership in commerce and culture, particularly in the field of mobility – social, physical, and mechanical.”
In addition to Mr. Lenderking’s remarks, Mr. Sebright also highlighted the robust trade relationship between the two countries. “In 2017, the U.S. enjoyed a $15.7 billion trade surplus with the U.A.E. – the United States’ 3rd largest globally. U.S. exports to the U.A.E. supported 119 thousand American jobs. Moreover, the U.A.E. continues to grow its investments in the States, as it is currently the 7th fastest-growing source of FDI in the country.”
Among issues of interest to participating stakeholders were the enduring Gulf crisis, latest developments between the U.S. and U.A.E. surrounding Open Skies, and participation by U.S. companies in Expo 2020 Dubai.
Please see Mr. Lenderking’s complete bio below.
To read Mr. Lenderking’s full remarks, please click here.
Timothy A. Lenderking
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Peninsula Affairs and Regional Multilateral Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Tim Lenderking is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Peninsula Affairs and Regional Multilateral Affairs in the Near East Bureau at the U.S. Department of State. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.
Mr. Lenderking served previously as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2013-2016. He served as the Director of the Pakistan Office at the Department of State from 2010-2013.
From 2008-2010, Mr. Lenderking completed two tours in Baghdad, the first as the Senior Democracy Advisor at the US Embassy, and the second as the Policy Advisor to LTG Charles Jacoby, Commanding General of Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNF-I), based at Camp Victory.
Before his Iraq tours, Mr. Lenderking served as the Economic Counselor and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at US Embassy Kuwait. He was also the Political Counselor at Embassy Rabat from 2002-2006.
Mr. Lenderking’s other tours in the Foreign Service include serving as the Special Assistant to Under Secretary for Political Affairs Marc Grossman 2001-2002, as the Lebanon Desk Officer 2000-2001, and as a Watch Officer in the Operations Center. Mr. Lenderking also served in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and in Damascus, Syria.
Mr. Lenderking joined the Foreign Service in 1993 after a career in the refugee field, where he held numerous positions with American NGOs and with the United Nations in New York, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Thailand.
Mr. Lenderking received a Masters degree in History and International Relations from the University of Washington in 1989 and a Bachelors Degree with Honors from Wesleyan University in 1985. He is the recipient of nine Superior Honor Awards from the Department of State and the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the Department of the Army for his service in Iraq.
