Cynthia P. Schneider
About
Cynthia P. Schneider, Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, teaches, publishes, and organises initiatives in the field of cultural diplomacy – with a focus on relations with the Muslim world.
She co-directs the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown, as well as the Los Angeles-based MOST Resource (Muslims on Screen and Television). Additionally, she co-directs the Timbuktu Renaissance, an innovative strategy and platform for countering extremism and promoting peace and development through a focus on culture, which grew out of her work leading the Arts and Culture Dialogue Initiative within Brookings’ Center for Middle East Policy.
Schneider teaches courses in diplomacy and culture in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where, from 1984 to 2005, she was a member of the art history faculty, and published on Rembrandt and 17th Century Dutch art. She also organised exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
She publishes and speaks frequently on topic related to arts, culture, and media and international affairs. She is currently writing a book on the role of culture in foreign policy and international relations, entitled Culture on the Front Lines: 21st Century Diplomacy. She has lectured on culture and diplomacy topics from Australia and New Zealand to Singapore, China, and Japan; to Egypt, Morocco, and the UAE; to many locations in Europe and the US.
From 1998 to 2001, she served as US Ambassador to the Netherlands, during which time she led initiatives in cultural diplomacy, biotechnology, cybersecurity and education.
She has a PhD and BA from Harvard University and she serves on various boards of directors and advisory boards.
