Edward W. "Skip" Gnehm, Jr. papers

Edward William "Skip" Gnehm, Jr. (c.1944- ) has had a distinguished career in government, as Ambassador to Kuwait (1991-94), Australia (2000-01), and Jordan (2001-04). He also served as Director General of the Foreign Service from 1997-2000, and was Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador from 1994-1997.

Ambassador Gnehm was born in Carrolton, Georgia. He graduated from The George Washington University with a B.A. in 1966 and an M.A. in 1968. From 1966-1967, he attended the American University in Cairo, Egypt, under a post-graduate Rotary International Fellowship, and completed a year of graduate study at the American University in Cairo, Egypt in 1968.

Ambassador Gnehm joined the U.S. Department of State in 1969 and has forged a long and distinguished diplomatic career. His positions included: Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Personnel for the Department of State; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Near East and South Asian Affairs; Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near East and South Asia; Deputy Chief of Mission, American Embassy, Amman, Jordan, and Embassy Sanaa, Yemen; head of the U.S. Liaison Office, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Deputy Principal Officer, U.S. Interests Section, Damascus, Syria.

Ambassador Gnehm received two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, in 1990 for his public service as Assistant Secretary of Defense, and in 1991 for his service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. He is also the recipient of several State Department awards, including Superior Honor Awards for his service in Kuwait and Riyadh, in Washington as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and in Taif, Saudi Arabia as Special Envoy to the Kuwaiti Government and Meritorious Honor Awards for his work in Damascus and Beirut. He was awarded two Secretary of Defense Medals for Meritorious Civilian Service: one by Secretary of Defense Carlucci for his service in the office of the Secretary of Defense and a second by Secretary of Defense Perry for his support to U.S. forces during and after Desert Storm.

In 1992, Ambassador Gnehm received The George Washington University's Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. He served seven years as a member of The George Washington University Board of Trustees and was a member of the board's Executive Committee and chairman of the Student Affairs Committee. He also served as Vice President of the General Alumni Association.

Ambassador Gnehm joined the faculty of the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University in August 2004 as the J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Visiting Professor of International Affairs. He was appointed to his present position as Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs in August 2006. He also serves as Director of the Middle East Policy Forum. He is married to Margaret Scott of Macon, Georgia, and has two children.