Ambassador Francis X. Taylor (left), former US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (center), and Ambassador Joseph B. Gildenhorn (right)
The Diplomacy Center Foundation Board of Directors recently elected 24th US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Ambassador Francis (Frank) X. Taylor (ret.) to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Ambassador Joseph B. Gildenhorn (ret.) was also elected to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
Secretary Chuck Hagel served as the 24th US Secretary of Defense from 2013 to 2015 where he modernized America’s partnerships and alliances, enhanced defense cooperation in the Middle East, oversaw America’s combat mission in Afghanistan, and led major initiatives for service members and their families. Hagel also served two terms in the US Senate, representing the state of Nebraska (1997-2009). He was a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Intelligence Committees.
Ambassador Frank Taylor most recently served as under secretary of Homeland Security for intelligence and analysis at the US Department of Homeland Security. At the US Department of State, Taylor was ambassador at large, serving as coordinator for counterterrorism. He also served as director of the Bureau of Counterterrorism, assistant secretary of state for Diplomatic Security, and director of the Office of Foreign Missions.
Ambassador Joseph Gildenhorn is a founder, officer, and director of The JBG Companies and a partner in the law firm of Brown, Gildenhorn, and Jacobs. From 1989-1993, Gildenhorn served as the US ambassador to Switzerland.
Secretary Hagel, Ambassador Taylor, and Ambassador Gildenhorn “are staunch supporters of diplomacy and the need for a strong diplomatic service,” says Foundation President Ambassador Roman Popadiuk (ret.). “Their participation broadens the perspective of our board and offers greater outreach opportunities to new sectors. The Diplomacy Center Foundation looks forward to their input and to working with them as we move forward with ‘Supporting American Diplomacy,’ the capital campaign to build the National Museum of American Diplomacy.”