MATTHEW BRYZA

Ambassador Matthew Bryza was a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy and Eurasia Centers and Board Member of the Jamestown Foundation, both located in Washington, DC. Ambassador Matthew Bryza was Director of the International Center for Defence and Security in Tallinn, Estonia, during 2012-2015, where he founded the Center’s energy security and cyber security programs.

Bryza resides in Istanbul, where he serves on the Board of Turcas, a publicly traded energy company in fuel distribution and power generation. He is also CEO of Lamor Turkey, a Turkish-Finnish joint venture in environmental solutions. Bryza was also the Co-Founder and CEO of IKAR Energy Group, and energy investment fund that seeks to help investors strike their individual balance between a high return and facilitating the global energy transition. And, he serves on the Board of Nobel Upstream, an oil exploration and production company based in London.

In 2012, Bryza completed a 23-year career as a U.S. diplomat, culminating as Ambassador to Azerbaijan. Earlier, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State (2005-2009) and Director on the National Security Council Staff at the White House (2001-2005) for U.S. relations with Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus (including mediation of the region’s separatist conflicts).

During 1998 to 2001, Ambassador Bryza was the Deputy Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State on Caspian Basin Energy Security. He also served in the U.S. Missions to Russia (1995-1997) and Poland (1989-1991).

Bryza is a frequent commentator in media outlets that have included CNN, Al Jazeera, The BBC, Fox News, Skye News, The Financial Times, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Chicago Tribune, as well as numerous outlets in Turkey and the South Caucasus.

He is the recipient of Estonia’s Cross of Terra Mariana and Georgia’s Order of St. George.

Ambassador Bryza received his bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University and his master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

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ROBERT WEXLER

Robert Wexler is the President of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace in Washington, D.C. He served as a Democratic Member of Congress from 1997 to 2010, representing Florida’s 19th district in the House of Representatives before retiring to lead the Center. Wexler was named one of the “50 Most Effective Legislators in Congress” by the influential magazine Congressional Quarterly and was named to the Forward 50 list as one of the most influential leaders in the American Jewish community.

In 2008, Congressman Wexler served as an advisor on Middle East and Israel issues to President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign. In 2012, he served on the President’s reelection Steering Committee and addressed the Democratic National Convention outlining the President’s policies related to Israel.

Throughout his tenure in Congress, Wexler was an outspoken advocate for the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel and a leading proponent of Israel’s right to self-defense and the need for a just and comprehensive resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. He traveled on numerous congressional delegations to the Middle East and met with the leaders of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, Turkey, Syria, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and the Palestinian Authority. At President Clinton’s invitation, he was the only member of the House of Representatives present during the signing of the Wye River Peace Agreement. In addition, Wexler was one of two Congressmen to travel to the International Court of Justice at The Hague to oppose the Palestinian case against Israel’s construction of a security barrier.

Congressman Wexler served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe, a senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a member of the Middle East Subcommittee. Wexler worked to strengthen the transatlantic alliance, build security and economic bonds with the European Union and the nations of Europe, and help guide the economic and political development of the former Soviet States. Wexler served as an American representative to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and was the co-founder of the Caucus on U.S.-Turkish Relations, the Taiwan Caucus and the Indonesia Caucus. He was also an active member of the India Caucus. In addition, Wexler served as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property.

Born in New York, Congressman Wexler moved to South Florida with his family at age 10. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida and law degree from George Washington University. Before serving in Congress, he served in the Florida Senate for six years. Congressman Wexler and his wife, Laurie, have three children.

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