Amb. Philip C. Wilcox, Jr.

Philip C. Wilcox, Jr. is President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, a Washington D.C.-based foundation devoted to fostering peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Wilcox retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 1997 after 31 years of service. He is also Acting Chairman of American Friends of UNRWA, which works for the advancement of Palestinian refugees through advocacy, education, and fundraising.

Born in Denver, Wilcox attended public schools, and graduated from Williams College and the Stanford Law School.

After teaching school in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and practicing law in Denver, Wilcox entered the Foreign Service in 1966, retiring in 1997. He served abroad in Laos, Indonesia and Bangladesh, and as Chief of Mission and U.S. Consul General, Jerusalem.

In Washington, Wilcox held a variety of assignments, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Research and as Ambassador at Large and Coordinator for Counter Terrorism.

Wilcox has received the Distinguished Service Award from Americans for Peace Now, and the Lewis B. Sohn Human Rights Award from the United Nations Association – National Capital Area. He is a director of the Middle East Institute and a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs. He and his wife Cynda live in Bethesda, Maryland.