Kate Seelye is Sr. Vice President of the Middle East Institute, where she oversees MEI’s communications and programs, including MEI’s growing arts and culture program. She also serves on the board of the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University. Prior to joining MEI, Seelye worked as a radio and television journalist covering the Arab world for nearly ten years from Lebanon. She reported on the region for award-winning radio and television programs, including National Public Radio and the PBS documentary program, “Frontline/World.” Prior to that, she was a producer for the PBS “Newshour,” and also worked at the business program, Marketplace Radio. In 2004, Seelye was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to research the history of the Arab-American relationship. That same year, she received an honorary doctorate from her alma mater Amherst College for her efforts to increase American understanding of the Middle East. She is the recipient of several journalism awards, including the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for NPR’s team coverage of the war on Iraq. Seelye grew up in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Syria – the daughter of a U.S. diplomat.