Sabine Schleidt
Sabine Schleidt joined FMC as Director of International Programs in Summer 2010 after more than two decades with the International Management and Development Institute (IMDI), an international non-profit, educational institute that promotes dialogue between business and government leaders in the U.S. and worldwide. At the FMC she oversees the Congressional Study Group on Germany, the flagship program of the FMC, as well as the Congressional Study Groups on Turkey, Japan, Europe, and the Diplomatic Advisory Council.
During her tenure at IMDI, she focused on a variety of issues of interest to the transatlantic community. Since 1991, she served as IMDI’s Executive Vice President, overseeing all aspects of the organization including program and policy development, fundraising, corporate and government relations, budgeting, staff development, and strategic planning. Her responsibilities included creating and implementing conferences and policy discussions in the United States and Europe, and promoting closer ties between business and government decision makers.
Ms. Schleidt has developed and implemented many international policy discussions in most capitals of Europe and has traveled with over 100 Members of Congress overseas. She enjoys identifying critical and emerging issues and strongly believes in the type of ongoing dialogue among policy makers, the business community, think tanks and other experts that FMC promotes. Whether the issue is climate change, trade, immigration, energy, monetary policy, or the fight against terrorism, she believes it is vital for the key players to come together and have frank and candid discussions. Her favorite program highlight was a series of roundtable sessions she organized in Svalbard, Norway (Arctic Circle), where environmental and climate experts and U.S. policy makers discussed climate change and the implication of the melting polar ice caps on national security and transportation routes.
Ms. Schleidt was born and grew up near Frankfurt, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in her teen years. She is bilingual in English and German. She attended the College of Wooster in Ohio, where she received B.A. degrees in International Relations and German Literature. She received an M.A. with distinction in International Affairs from American University in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining IMDI she was a language instructor for members of the Washington diplomatic community, and she also served as a legislative representative for the National Board of the YWCA, where she authored a manual on corporate social responsibility.
Contact Sabine Schleidt: sschleidt -at- usafmc (dot) org