Ambassador Nicholas Veliotes (Oct 28, 1928 - May 14, 2024) had a distinguished career in the Foreign Service of the United States, culminating in his tenure as Ambassador to Egypt, until his retirement in 1986. Prior to this post, Ambassador Veliotes was the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. From 1978 to 1981, he was Ambassador to Jordan. Between 1970 and 1978, Veliotes served in a series of State Department positions, including Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State, Deputy Director of the Policy Planning Staff, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Tel Aviv. Ambassador Veliotes served in a variety of posts after obtaining his commission in the Foreign Service of the United States in 1955, including Vientiane, New Delhi, Rome and Naples. In 1969 he was he was selected as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Princeton University.

Following his retirement from the Foreign Service, Ambassador Veliotes became President of the Association of American Publishers until 1997. He is an international consultant and is a member of the Middle East Institute, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a former member of the Council of Foreign Relations. He also serves on the Boards of AMIDEAST, ANERA, the Mediterranean Quarterly , and the American Academy of Diplomacy. He is Chair of the Board of the Foundation for Middle East Peace and Chair of the Congressionally mandated Hollings Center for International Dialogue, whose mission is to enhance contacts between Americans and counterparts in Muslim countries.

After serving in the US Army, Ambassador Veliotes received his BA and MA degrees from the University of California (Berkeley). He is a member of the Society of Berkeley Fellows and has received the Paul T. Seaborg Award.

Ambassador Veliotes has received the State Department Distinguished Service Award , the Presidential Superior Honor Award ,a B’nai Brith “Faith of our Fathers” Award for his contributions to peace in the Middle East, and was decorated by the French Government as a “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” for his contributions to International Publishing.