Witney Schneidman

Dr. Witney Schneidman has private sector, government and academic experience working on the African continent. Most recently he has served as a nonresident fellow at the African Growth Initiative in the Global Economy and Development program.He has devoted his career on U.S.-African relations, trade and investment issues in Sub-Saharan Africa and issues related to economic growth and prosperity on the African continent.

Prior to serving at the Brookings Institution and starting SAI, Dr. Schneidman served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the Clinton Administration where he was responsible for economic and commercial issues in Sub-Saharan Africa.Among his activities was ensuring the passage and implementation of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. He also coordinated the U.S.-SADC Forum, the U.S.-Angola Bilateral Consultative Commission, the U.S.-Nigeria Joint Economic Partnership Commission and the first U.S.-Africa Ministerial Forum.

During the Obama campaign, Dr. Schneidman was co-chair of the Africa Experts Group on the Foreign Policy Advisory team and a member of the Presidential Transition Team.

Dr. Schneidman is the author of Engaging Africa: Washington and the Fall of Portugal's Colonial Empire, which Foreign Affairs described as "a must-read for anyone interested in decolonization or Cold War diplomacy."He was the principal author of the report, A Ten Year Strategy for Increasing Capital Flows to Africa, issued by the Commission on Capital Flows to Africa, sponsored by the Corporate Council on Africa, the International Institute for Economics and the Council on Foreign Relations. He has written extensively on African economic and political issues, and has served as a commentator for CNN, the BBC and NPR, among other media outlets.

Dr. Schneidman is a member of the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Sub-Saharan African Advisory Committee at the U.S. Export-Import Bank, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Corporate Council on Africa.He received a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Southern California, an M.A. in international relations from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and his B.A. (Cum Laude) from Temple University.