The US President, Joe Biden, announced Key Board and Commission Appointments on Friday, including the appointment of Bangladeshi-born American Ambassador M. Osman Siddique as a member of the US National Security Education Board (NSEB), according to a statement issued by the White House.
Ambassador Siddique previously served as the US Ambassador to the Republic of Fiji Islands with concurrent accreditations to the Kingdom of Tonga and the Governments of Tuvalu and Nauru from 1999 until 2001. Appointed by President Bill Clinton, he was the first American Muslim US.
Ambassador to serve as a Chief of Mission anywhere. After obtaining his MBA degree from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, Siddique embarked on a successful career, initially with a Fortune 500 company, before becoming a prominent entrepreneur and businessman in the nation’s capital. Under the mentorship of Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), he became deeply involved in the Democratic Party and national politics.
In 2011, President Obama appointed Ambassador Siddique as a trustee to the Board of Governors of the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Currently, in addition to serving as a strategic advisor to several multinational organizations, Siddique sits on multiple boards, including the Atlantic Council as a non-resident senior fellow. Born in Bangladesh, Siddique currently resides with his wife Catherine in McLean, Virginia. He recently authored his memoir "Leaps of Faith: An Immigrant’s Odyssey of Struggle, Success, and Service to His Country."
The 14-member NSEB provides strategic guidance and oversight for the National Security Education Program, which administers multiple fellowships and awards, including the David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships, with the goal of enhancing the national capacity to understand and effectively interact with foreign cultures and languages.
The NSEB consists of six Presidential appointees, including experts from non-profit organizations and academia who offer valuable assistance to the National Security Education Program.
