Ambassador Ross Wilson is the Director of the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council of the United States and a visiting lecturer at George Washington University.

He completed nearly three decades in the US Foreign Service in December 2008, including six years as American ambassador to Turkey in 2005-08 and Azerbaijan in 2000-03. Elsewhere overseas, he served at the US embassies in Moscow and Prague and was American Consul General in Melbourne, Australia.

In Washington, Ambassador Wilson held various posts. He served as Chief of Staff for Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick in 2005. He was Chief US Negotiator for the Free Trade Area of the Americas while on detail to the Office of the US Trade Representative in 2003-2005. In 1997-2000, he served as Principal Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States (of the former Soviet Union). As Deputy Executive Secretary of the State Department in 1992-94, Ambassador Wilson directly supported Secretaries of State Lawrence Eagleburger and Warren Christopher. Ambassador Wilson was an aide to Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Robert Zoellick in 1990-92, focusing on the collapse of the Soviet bloc and matters related to the Group of Seven summits, for which Undersecretary Zoellick was the US Sherpa. Earlier in his career, Ambassador Wilson served in the State Department’s offices dealing with the Soviet Union and Egypt.

As Director of the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, Ambassador Wilson leads the Atlantic Council’s work in and on the region that extends from East-Central Europe to and across Central Asia, including the Black and Caspian Sea basins. Key areas of emphasis include energy development and trade, overall economic development and integration within and across the region, and political issues and prospects. The Atlantic Council’s flagship activity in Eurasia is its annual Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum, and it hosts in Washington and in the region Eurasia Discussion Series meetings as platforms for both major policy addresses and senior-level discussions on a broad range of issues.

A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ambassador Wilson received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and master’s degrees from Columbia University and the US National War College. While in the diplomatic service, he won the President’s Meritorious Service Award, as well as numerous Department of State awards and honors. He is married to Margo Squire, who is also a career diplomat with the State Department. They have two sons.