Washington, DC, January 15, 2015—Amideast is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Donald Schmidt as its new country director for Saudi Arabia. Mr. Schmidt will be based in Riyadh, where he will oversee a portfolio of programs and services in the areas of English language training, test preparation, standardized testing, management training, and scholarship management. 
Mr. Schmidt brings nearly two decades of experience in international education, working in areas as diverse as higher education, curriculum and assessment development, and educational program management. Twelve of his 18 years of experience in educational management have been spent in the Gulf managing Amideast projects. Previously, he served as the head of the English and Technical Bridging Program, a special initiative that Amideast manages on behalf of the Saudi Electric Services Polytechnic (SESP) in the Eastern Province of the kingdom. Prior to this, he served as the assistant academic director and interim program director for Alfaisal University’s Preparatory Program in Riyadh, which Amideast established and managed for the King Faisal Foundation from 2007 through 2012. He also worked in Abu Dhabi at the Military Language Institute, a facility that Amideast managed for the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces from 1997 through 2004.
Mr. Schmidt earned his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology/Linguistics from Indiana University as well as a master’s degree in Education from Boston University.
