Professor Chan Heng Chee is Ambassador

Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....

 of the Republic of Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. She received this appointment in July 1996.

During her tenure as ambassador to the U.S., bilateral relationship improved tremendously. In May 2003, Singapore and U.S. signed the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement

US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement

The United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement was signed 6 May 2003 and ratified by the US House of Representatives on 24 July 2003 by a vote of 272-155. The US Senate ratified the bill on 31 July 2003 by a vote of 66-32. President George W. Bush signed into law the United States-Singapore Free...

 (USSFTA), the first FTA that U.S. entered into with an East Asian country. Both countries also enhanced their ties in areas of defence and security.

Academic career

Chan received her education at the University of Singapore where she graduated with a Master of Arts

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

 in Political Science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 in 1966, and Master of Arts degree in 1967 at Cornell University

Cornell University

Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

. In 1974 she received her Ph.D. from the University of Singapore. Her thesis had the title: The Dynamics of One-party Dominance: A Study of Five Singapore Constituencies.

She was previously the Executive Director of the Singapore International Foundation

Singapore International Foundation

The Singapore International Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to build a better world through shared ideas, skills and experiences, so as to uplift lives and create greater understanding between Singaporeans and world communities....

 and served as Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Chan was also the founding Director of the Institute of Policy Studies

Institute of Policy Studies (Singapore)

The Institute of Policy Studies was established in 1988 as a think-tank dedicated to fostering good governance in Singapore through strategic policy research and discussion....

.

Chan was a member of the International Advisory Board of the New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

-based Council on Foreign Relations

Council on Foreign Relations

The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...

 and on the Council at the International Institute for Strategic Studies

International Institute for Strategic Studies

The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British research institute in the area of international affairs. It describes itself as "the world’s leading authority on political-military conflict"...

 (IISS) in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and the International Council of the Asia Society in New York.

She has received a number of awards, including Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Letters in 1994 from the University of Newcastle

University of Newcastle, Australia

The University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and the University of Buckingham

University of Buckingham

The University of Buckingham is an independent, non-sectarian, research and teaching university located in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Great Ouse. It was originally founded as Buckingham University College in the 1970s and received its Royal Charter from the...

 in 1998.

Besides being ambassador to the United States, she is presently professor of political science on secondment at the National University of Singapore

National University of Singapore

The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....

.

Diplomatic career

Chan served as Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 from 1989 to 1991. During this time, she was concurrently accredited as the High Commissioner to Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and Ambassador to Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.

She became Ambassador to the United States in 1996. At the time, she was the first woman ambassador from an East Asian country to be assigned to the United States. Chan expressed surprise at her appointment, noting "I'm antiestablishment and was a bit of a dissident before I was appointed ambassador. It came as something of a shock to me when I was offered the ambassadorship because I was highly critical of government in a society that is not used to being critiqued."

Like Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and Minister for Manpower. He previously served as the Minister for Education from 2003 to 2008...

 (the current Finance Minister), Ho Kwon Ping

Ho Kwon Ping

Ho Kwon Ping is the Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings, a Singapore based leisure business group, which owns both listed and private companies engaged in the development, ownership and operation of hotels, resorts, spas, residential homes, retail galleries and other lifestyle activities in...

 , a former journalist dissident and now the chairman of the Banyan Tree leisure group, and other former political critics, she is part of a small group of well-educated dissidents who have subsequently been appointed into high profile positions in the PAP Government, or who have otherwise become part of the establishment.

In 1998, she received the Inaugural International Woman of the Year Award from the Organization of Chinese American Women

Organization of Chinese American Women

The Organization of Chinese American Women is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing the interests of Chinese American women in the United States and increasing awareness of issues affecting them. It was founded in 1977 by Pauline Tsui, and is headquartered in...

 (OCAW), and Singapore’s first "Woman of the Year" award in 1991. Chan received Singapore's Meritorious Service Medal

Pingat Jasa Gemilang

The Pingat Jasa Gemilang , instituted in Singapore in 1962. The Medal may be awarded to any person who has performed service of conspicuous merit characterised by resource and devotion to duty, including long service marked by exceptional ability, merit and exemplary conduct within Singapore...

 in 2005 and the Distinguished Service Order

Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang

The Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang was instituted in 1968. It is awarded to any person who has performed within Singapore any act or series of acts constituting distinguished conduct...

, the highest National Day Award conferred in August 2011.

External links

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador CV