Former ambassador to Libya will speak about Middle East at Iowa State April 3

AMES, Iowa -- The former U.S. ambassador to Libya and Kuwait will speak at Iowa State University as part of the university's World Affairs series.

Ambassador Deborah Jones will present "America and the Middle East: Shifting Sands in the Security Relationship" at 8 p.m. Monday, April 3, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Her talk is free and open to the public.

Jones, who retired from the foreign service in 2016 after 34 years, served as the ambassador to Libya from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that post, she was senior faculty advisor for national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. From 2008 to 2011, Jones served as ambassador to the State of Kuwait. Her other overseas assignments included principal officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey (2005 to 2007), and posts in Iraq, Tunisia, Syria, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

Jones also held positions in Washington, D.C., as director of the Office of Arabian Peninsula Affairs and Iran (2002-2004) and acting public affairs advisor to the assistant secretary for Near East affairs (1994-1995). Jones received a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and a master's from the National War College of the National Defense University.

Her presentation is co-sponsored by the Arab Student Association, department of political science, World Affairs series and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by Student Government.

More information on ISU lectures is available online, or by calling 515-294-9935.