Biden names M. Osman Siddique to National Security Education Board

As envoy to Fiji Islands, Siddique was the first South Asian American and Muslim US Ambassador to serve as Chief of Mission anywhere

President Joe Biden has announced his intent to appoint Bangladeshi-American diplomat and entrepreneur M. Osman Siddique, to the National Security Education Board (NSEB) that provides strategic guidance and oversight for the National Security Education Program.

Siddique, the first American Muslim US Ambassador to serve as a Chief of Mission anywhere as ambassador to Fiji Islands, is one of six Presidential appointees, including experts from non-profit organizations and academia, named to the 14-member NSEB.

The White House made the announcement on March 22.

“I’m thankful to President Biden for selecting me to serve on the NSEB board,” he told the American Bazaar. “And serving the American people is the biggest honor.”

READ: My nomination was a step forward toward acceptance, assimilation: Osman Siddique (July 28, 2021)

NSEB administers multiple fellowships and awards including the David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships with the aim of increasing the national capacity to understand and interact effectively with foreign cultures and languages.

Appointed by President Bill Clinton, Siddique served as the US Ambassador to the Republic of Fiji Islands with concurrent accreditations to the Kingdom of Tonga and the Governments of Tuvalu and Nauru from 1999 until 2001.

After receiving his MBA degree from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, Siddique started his professional career with a Fortune 500 company, but soon emerged as a successful entrepreneur and a prolific businessman in the nation’s capital, according to his White House profile.

Under the tutelage of Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), he became very active in the Democratic Party and national politics. In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Siddique as a trustee to the Board of Governors of the East West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Today, in addition to being a strategic advisor to several multinational organizations, Siddique serves on multiple boards including the Atlantic Council as a non-resident senior fellow.

Born in Bangladesh, Siddique currently lives with his wife Catherine, in McLean, Virginia. He recently authored his memoir, “Leaps of Faith: An Immigrant’s Odyssey of Struggle, Success and Service to his Country.”