Ambassador Sichan Siv

KhmerPost USA’s keynote speaker for the 4th Annual Media & Community Gala will be Sichan Siv, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and the international best-selling author of Golden Bones: An Extraordinary Journey from Hell in Cambodia to a New Life in America

In 2001 after unanimous confirmation by the Senate, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as an ambassador to the U.N., serving until 2006. In June 2005, Ambassador Siv represented the United States at the 60th Truman in 1945, Eisenhower 1955, Johnson 1965 and Clinton 1995.

From 1989 to 1993, Ambassador Siv served at The White House as Deputy Assistant to President George H.W. Bush and at the State Department as Deputy Assistant Secretary. In the private sector, he has held positions in social services, educational exchange, financial management and investment banking. He provides global strategic advice and gives motivational speeches around the United States and the world.

Ambassador Siv holds a master of international affairs from Columbia University. He escaped Cambodia’s killing fields in 1976 and was resettled as a refugee in Connecticut with his mother’s scarf, an empty rice bag and $2. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the George H.W. Bush Award for Outstanding Public Service, U.S. Army Commander’s Award and Brazilian Academy of Art, Culture and History Honors. He has been a volunteer in the Civil Air Patrol and an honorary commander of the U.S. Air Force. He is married to the former Martha Pattillo of Pampa, Texas.