Rose Sager

Born and raised in Bahrain, Rose Sager immigrated to the US where she received a B.S. in mathematics and business from City University of New York. Her career has included positions in the financial and insurance industries and training director at a major US airline.

Rose joined the Office of the Economic Representative as trade representative for the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2006. Under the auspices of the Trade Office at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain, her role is to facilitate and promote the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement since its implementation in August 2006. Besides establishing major business/government contacts and increasing bilateral trade, she has promoted the Kingdom of Bahrain at various trade shows, business-to-business networking events, chambers of commerce, World Trade Center forums, women’s associations, universities, etc. Based in New York, Rose continuously seeks to establish Bahrain as the ideal investment choice for the US business market, as well as an exotic tourist destination.

RADM Harold J Bernsen USN (Ret)

Harold “Hal” Bernsen, is a retired US Navy Rear Admiral.

As a Captain, based in Bahrain in 1980, he commanded USS Lasalle the flagship of Commander Middle East Force. Selected for flag rank in 1984 his first assignment was Director of Plans and Policy at US Central Command. From 1986 to 1988, during the tanker war with Iran, he served as Commander Middle East Force, forerunner of today’s Fifth Fleet, home ported in Bahrain. He retired from the Navy in 1991.

As a civilian Bernsen engaged in various business ventures primarily in the Middle East. To further his personal interest in improving American’s understanding and appreciation of the Arab world he has served on non-profit boards devoted to that end, in particular as Director (20 yrs) and Chairman (6 yrs) of the National Council on Arab Relations. He is a Director Emeritus of the National US Arab Chamber of Commerce.

Stein Lundebye

William Roebuck

Ambassador William “Bill” Roebuck most recently served as the deputy special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and a senior advisor to the Special Representative for Syria Engagement Ambassador James Jeffrey. Prior to his appointment, Roebuck served as a senior advisor to Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk from January to December 2018.

Roebuck served as ambassador to Bahrain from 2015-17. He was appointed deputy assistant secretary for Maghreb Affairs in January 2013 and assumed additional responsibility for Egypt Affairs in January 2014. He served as Chargé d’Affaires in Tripoli, Libya from January to June 2013, earning the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy. From September 2010 to December 2012, he served as director for the Office of Maghreb Affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Roebuck served as deputy political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad from July 2009 to August 2010, covering Iraq’s external relations and leading the embassy’s and the resident international community’s efforts to support the critical March 2010 national elections.

Roebuck served as the deputy office director for Arabian Peninsula Affairs from 2007-09. From 2004-07, he served as the political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. In his last year of that assignment, Roebuck served as the acting deputy chief of mission. Prior to his assignment in Syria, he covered political issues in Gaza, while assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv from 2000-03. He served in Washington as staff assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs from 1997-98.

Prior to joining the State Department, Roebuck worked as an English teacher and school administrator in Taif, Saudi Arabia from 1982-87. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in Cote d’Ivoire from 1978-81.

Roebuck speaks French and Arabic. He hails from Rocky Mount, North Carolina and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature from Wake Forest University in 1978 and 1981, respectively, and his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1992.