James Franklin Jeffrey is a retired U.S. Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the Foreign Service, who began his public service as a U.S. Army infantry officer from 1969 to 1976, serving in Germany and Vietnam. He joined the Foreign Service, advancing through key roles including Ambassador to Albania (2002-2004), Deputy Chief of Mission in Kuwait and Ankara, Chargé d'affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad, Senior Advisor on Iraq to the Secretary of State, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, leading the Iran policy team. During the George W. Bush administration, he served as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor (2007-2008) with a focus on Iran, followed by ambassadorships in Turkey (2008-2010) and Iraq (2010-2012). He retired in 2012 but was recalled in 2018 to serve under the Trump administration as Special Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Post-retirement, Jeffrey has held fellowships such as Philip Solondz Distinguished Visiting Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (2013-2018 and rejoined in 2025), Chair of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center since December 2020, Visiting Instructor at George Washington University, and advisory roles on the Secretary of Defense’s Defense Policy Board (2012-2017) and CIA External Advisory Board (2017-2018). He is married to Gudrun Jeffrey and has two children: Julia and Jahn, the latter a Foreign Service Officer. Jeffrey's expertise covers political, security, and energy issues in the Middle East, Turkey, Germany, and the Balkans; he has authored works including 'Middle East Crises,' analyzing U.S. diplomacy and military strategy.