From July 2012 until April 2018, Jeffrey Feltman served as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. Frequently briefing the Security Council on peace and security issues, Mr. Feltman was the chief foreign policy advisor to the Secretary-General and traveled extensively, including to Pyongyang in December 2017. He oversaw UN mediation and conflict prevention work and provided guidance to UN Special Representatives and Envoys heading UN political missions.

Before the UN, Mr. Feltman was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, focusing largely on the Middle East and North Africa. From 2009 until 2012, Mr. Feltman was the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. His 2004-2008 tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon was marked by the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, the departure of Syrian occupying troops, and the 2006 Hizballah-Israel war. Mr. Feltman also served in Erbil, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tunis, Amman, Budapest, and Port-au-Prince.

A native of Greenville, Ohio, Mr. Feltman has a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree in history and art from Ball State University. His wife, Mary Draper, is a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer.