Howard Van Vranken's term ended on August 20, 2021.
Howard Van Vranken is a career Senior Foreign Service Officer who has spent most of his career in the Middle East. Prior to becoming Deputy Executive Secretary and Executive Director, he served as Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and Executive Director of NEA-SCA/EX. Previously, Mr. Van Vranken served in Rabat, and twice in Iraq, first as a Provincial Reconstruction Team Leader and subsequently as the Iran Watcher.
Among other tours, Mr. Van Vranken served as Management Officer in Jerusalem, Sanaa, and Oslo, in Beirut, Tel Aviv, and Tunis. Early in his career, Mr. Van Vranken worked in the Operations Center as a Watch Officer, in NEA/EX on assignments, and as a Consular Officer in Belfast. His languages are Arabic, Farsi, Norwegian, and German.