Mary Ann Peters

Board Member
Ambassador in Residence and Professor of Practice, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University

Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters joined the RestoringVision Board of Directors in 2021.

Ambassador Peters is an innovative global leader with deep experience guiding large organizations in times of both crisis and stability. Most recently she served as Ambassador in Residence and Professor of Practice at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, where she taught a graduate-level course on “Diplomacy and Global Security.” As CEO of The Carter Center 2014-2020, Ambassador Peters led a worldwide team of 3,000 people working to resolve conflicts, strengthen democracy and improve global health. She grew programs by 59% in five years, negotiated the Carter Center‘s groundbreaking role as Independent Observer of the peace process in Mali and launched innovative programs to prevent violent extremism and address the mental illness associated with certain tropical diseases.

From 2008-2014, Ambassador Peters served as Provost of the U.S. Naval War College, where she established the Center for Cybered Conflict Studies and set up 22 named professorships and a Chair of Asia Pacific Studies. From 2003-2008, Mary Ann served at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, first as Associate Director for International Liaison and then as Dean of the College of International and Security Studies. Ambassador Peters was the U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh from 2000-2003, leading the Embassy’s response to the September 11 attacks and earning a Presidential Meritorious Service Award for that work. Her prior assignments include Ottawa, Canada (where she was Deputy Chief of Mission), Sofia, Bulgaria, Moscow, USSR, and Rangoon and Mandalay in Burma (now Myanmar).

Mary Ann holds a B.A. degree from Santa Clara University and a M.A. degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and also serves on the boards of The Asia Foundation and Project HOPE. Ambassador Peters is a sought-after speaker who has published a number of op-eds and co-authored a textbook chapter on diplomacy and counterterrorism.