Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba is the Senior Advisor for the GCC countries at PineBridge Investments, a global asset management firm based in New York City. She also heads DerMar International, LLC, her consulting firm focused on assisting organizations seeking to establish or expand their presence in the Middle East. Recent consulting assignments have included Booz Allen Hamilton, US Department of State and the Department of Defense.

Ambassador Wahba retired from the U.S. Department of State in May, 2008, class of Minister Counselor, after a twenty two-year career spent mostly in the Middle East. Ambassador Wahba was confirmed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Arab Emirates in October 2001 and served in Abu Dhabi till June 2004. She served from 2004 to 2006 as the International Affairs Advisor and Deputy at the National War College of the National Defense University. From 2006 to 2008 she was assigned to the Pentagon as the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force.

Ambassador Wahba’s extensive experience in the Middle East, her knowledge of the area's culture, politics and society and fluency in Arabic uniquely qualify her to effectively operate throughout the region. She has developed close professional relationships with senior government officials, business representatives and academics which allow her to remain current on regional political, social and economic trends. Ambassador Wahba's negotiating, leadership, management and interpersonal skills have been recognized throughout her career for excellence and for achieving outstanding results.

Ambassador Wahba joined the Foreign Service as a mid-level officer and served as the Deputy Policy Officer in the Near East Office of the United States Information Agency from 1987 to 1988. She was then assigned to Cairo, Egypt, to serve as the Embassy Spokesperson from 1988 to 1991. In 1991 she transferred to the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus, as the Public Affairs Officer. Ambassador Wahba served as the Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs in Amman, Jordan from 1995 to 1999 and in Cairo as Minister Counselor, from July 1999 to July 2001.

Ambassador Wahba received the White House Presidential Meritorious Service Award for her service in the UAE and was decorated by HH President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan with the UAE’s Order of Independence (First Class). She received numerous Senior Performance Pay Awards, Meritorious Honor Awards and Sustained Superior Performance Awards.

Ambassador Wahba graduated from Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in International Relations. She received a Diploma in National Security from the National War College, National Defense University, Washington D.C. in June 2006. Ambassador Wahba is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, serves on the Board of the Middle East Institute, Washington D.C., the board of ANERA and is the Deputy Chairperson of the board of the School of Policy and International Affairs at the University of Maine.