Dana Shell Smith
| Name | Dana Smith |
| Image |  |
| Office | United States Ambassador to Qatar |
| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Term Start | August 8, 2014 |
| Term End | June 20, 2017 |
| Predecessor | Susan L. Ziadeh |
| Successor | Timmy T. Davis (2022) |
| Spouse | Ray Smith |
| Alma Mater | University of California, San Diego |
| Relations | Jeff Shell (brother) |
Dana Shell Smith (born 1970) is a former American diplomat and career Foreign Service Officer who served as the United States Ambassador to Qatar from July 2014 to June 2017. She was confirmed by the Senate as the U.S. Ambassador to Qatar on July 10, 2014. Previously, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs from 2011 to 2014 and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Media.
Early life and education
In 1992, she graduated from the University of California at San Diego with a bachelor's degree in political science and Middle East studies.
Career
On May 1, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Smith to be the U.S. ambassador to Qatar. Smith was confirmed by the Senate as the U.S. ambassador to Qatar on July 10, 2014. She presented her credentials to Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on September 8, 2014.
Previously, she served as principal deputy assistant secretary of public affairs from 2011 to 2014 and as deputy assistant secretary for international media.
On June 13, 2017, Smith announced that she would be resigning her post later that month. State Department records indicate June 20, 2017 as her official date of departure from service. Since leaving government service, she has been highly critical of the changes in the State Department under the Trump administration, describing the situation as a "disaster waiting to happen".
Prior to her assignments in the Bureau of Public Affairs, Smith was the State Department's Regional Arabic Language Spokesperson in Dubai. She served in a number of positions including as Senior Advisor to the Director General and overseas tours of duty in Taipei (as Chief of the Public Affairs Section and Spokesperson, American Institute in Taiwan), Amman, Tel Aviv/Gaza, and Cairo.
In November 2020, Smith was named a member of the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
Smith is a member of the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee.
Personal life
Smith speaks Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and Hebrew. She is married to Diplomatic Security Officer Ray Smith and they have two children. Her brother is Jeff Shell the former CEO of Comcast.
Publications
- "How to Have an Insanely Demanding Job and 2 Happy Children". The Atlantic, June 27, 2012.
- "US-Qatar Relations: Realizing the Full Potential of a Growing Strategic Partnership". The Ambassadors Review, Spring 2015.
See also
References
- US ambassador to Qatar steps down amid Gulf crisis, Steinbuch, Yaron, June 13, 2017, New York Post, June 13, 2017
- Dana Shell Smith (1970–), history.state.gov, U.S. Dept. of State, June 19, 2018, June 20, 2018, live
- Dana Shell Smith, 10 July 2014, congress.gov, April 23, 2015
- Chief of Mission Biography at U.S. Embassy Doha, United States Embassy in Qatar, April 21, 2015, April 30, 2016, usurped
- American Couple Detained In Qatar Allowed To Return Home, Sanders, Sam, December 3, 2014, National Public Radio, April 23, 2015
- Exonerated in Qatar, American Couple Head Home, Gladstone, Rick, December 3, 2014, The New York Times, April 23, 2015
- US exports to Qatar crossed $5bn in 2014, qatarisbooming.com, April 23, 2015, June 20, 2018, dead
- Why is the State Department Tweeting in Arabic? A Conversation with Dana Shell Smith, jilliancyork.com, Jillian C. York, 22 January 2012, Jillian York, April 23, 2015
- U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Steps Down, 14 June 2017, Muslim Global
- Gardiner Harris, Diplomats Sound the Alarm as They Are Pushed Out in Droves, The New York Times, November 24, 2017, November 25, 2017
- Dana Shell Smith Assumes Duties as New AIT Public Affairs Section Chief, 2004-06-25, American Institute in Taiwan, 2019-04-13, 2019-04-13, live
- U.S. Ambassador to Qatar: Who Is Dana Shell Smith?, allgov.com, April 23, 2015
- Agency Review Teams, President-Elect Joe Biden, 10 November 2020, 28 August 2022, dead
- Defense Policy Board, dead, May 31, 2019, 2024-09-26, United States Department of Defense
- Ryan, Torok, Moving and shaking: AFMDA Humanitarian Award, Tour de Summer Camps and more, Jewish Journal, October 29, 2015
External links
Category:1970 births
Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Qatar
Category:Women ambassadors of the United States
Category:Living people
Category:University of California, San Diego alumni
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:American Institute in Taiwan people
Category:United States Foreign Service personnel
Category:21st-century American diplomats
Category:21st-century American women