Harriet Elam-Thomas is the director of the Diplomacy Program at The University of Central Florida (UCF). From 2003 to 2005, she served as diplomat in residence at the UCF under the auspices of a national US Department of State program. In that capacity, she was the US Department of State's official liaison in Central Florida. Until the fall of 2005, Ambassador Elam-Thomas was a senior foreign service officer with the rank of Career Minister. Previously, she served as US ambassador to Senegal from 1999 to 2003; acting deputy director of The United States Information Agency; public affairs counselor, American Embassy, Brussels; cultural attaché, Athens; and director of the American Press and Cultural Center, Istanbul, Turkey. Her numerous awards include the Director General's Cup for the Foreign Service in 2007. She holds a B.S. in international business from Simmons College, and an M.A. in public diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.