World-renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass is the former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities and Director of Excavations at Giza, Saqqara, Bahariya Oasis, and the Valley of the Kings. Dr Hawass received his PhD in 1987 from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied as a Fulbright Fellow. He has written numerous scholarly articles and books, and is a highly respected Egyptologist. Known for his charisma and ability to reach out to the public, for more than thirty years he has been raising awareness of archaeology and the preservation of Egypt’s precious heritage.

Dr Hawass has made a number of major discoveries over the course of his career, including the Tombs of the Pyramid Builders at Giza and the Valley of the Golden Mummies at Bahariya Oasis. He has discovered two previously unknown Old Kingdom pyramids, one near the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, and one belonging to a queen of King Teti at Saqqara. Also at Saqqara, he rediscovered the pyramid of the 6th Dynasty queen Khuit, along with another pyramid which he has determined that it belonged to a 5th Dynasty queen. Dr Hawass has been involved in several other important archaeological projects. He led the search for the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony on the premises of a Ptolemaic temple near Alexandria. He enriched the search for the so-called “hidden doors” inside the Great Pyramid. In addition, Dr Hawass launched a new excavation under the Nile River’s waters, searching for missing obelisks and statues.

One of the most significant research efforts led and managed by Dr Hawass was the Egyptian Mummy Project (EMP), which used modern forensic techniques such as CT and DNA analysis to answer questions about the royal mummies. Some of the most important discoveries that Dr Hawass has made through the EMP are his identification of the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut, the uncovering of the family of King Tutankhamun, and solving the mystery of the murder of Ramesses III.

As an archaeologist deeply concerned about the conservation and protection of Egypt’s monuments, he supervised major conservation projects for the Great Sphinx, and the Serapeum and Step Pyramid at Saqqara. He has developed site management plans for a number of important areas, including the Unfinished Obelisk Quarry in Aswan, the temples of Kom Ombo, Edfu, and Dendera, the West Bank of Luxor, Giza, and Saqqara. He has also initiated the construction of nineteen new museums throughout Egypt, including the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) and the National Egyptian Museum of Civilization (NEMC). Under his direction, several historical mosques, churches, and synagogues have been restored and reopened to the public. Dr Hawass has actively promoted the organization of exhibitions of the treasures of King Tutankhamun in many cities in America, Australia, Europe, and Japan. These exhibitions have brought more than $125 million in revenue to Egypt.

Dr Hawass’ dynamic personality and extensive knowledge have sparked global interest in ancient Egypt. He has brought the world of the pharaohs into the homes and hearts of people all over the world through his numerous television appearances and books for general audiences. In 2006, Dr Hawass received an Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for a special on ancient Egypt produced by KCBS in Los Angeles. Some of his most popular TV appearances have been Mysteries of the Pyramids, live from Cairo with Omar Sharif; Good Morning America, live from the Great Sphinx with Joan Lunden; and The Today Show with Matt Lauer. He has appeared in three live prime-time productions for Fox Television – the first, in March 1999, was with Maury Povich; the second, in May 2000, was with actor Bill Pullman and host Hugh Downs; and the third was a look behind the hidden doors inside the Great Pyramid through the use of a robot equipped with a fiberoptic camera. Dr Hawass has also appeared in many documentaries by the BBC, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, History Channel, PBS, and The Learning Channel. He was chosen by the BBC for a profile representing Egypt in the New Millennium, and was featured by the CNN in a short profile in 2008. National Geographic has produced a film on his life and work. Dr Hawass is the spokesman for the CNN on archaeological news in Egypt, and he has also been featured on many TV shows in Europe and Japan. He has been profiled in print in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the London Times. Most recently, he appeared in the History Channel series Chasing Mummies.

Dr Hawass has written many books for general audiences on ancient Egypt, including:

Silent Images – Women in Pharaonic Egypt; Hidden Treasures of Ancient Egypt; Secrets from the Sand; Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs; Tutankhamun – The Treasures of the Tomb; Royal Tombs of Egypt – The Art of Thebes Revealed; The Great Book of Ancient Egypt – In the Realm of the Pharaohs; and Mountains of the Pharaohs – The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders.His book about his great discovery at Bahariya Oasis, The Valley of the Golden Mummies, became a bestseller and has been published in five languages. He has also authored several books for children. He writes regular columns for Al-Ahram Weekly and has contributed to articles for GEO,along with many other popular magazines. Three important books are now in press: Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging of the New Kingdom Royal Mummies (AUC Press), Giza and The Pyramids(Thames and Hudson), and Adventures in Archaeology (in French and in Italian).

Over the course of his long career, Dr Hawass has been presented with numerous international awards and honors. In 1998, the President of Egypt bestowed on him the First Class Award for Arts and Sciences, and he also received the Pride of Egypt Award from members of the foreign press in Egypt. He was one of 30 international figures to receive the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement for his accomplishments in archaeology. In July 2001, the National Geographic Society selected Dr Hawass as one of its Explorers-in-Residence, and the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences granted him a Silver Medal and membership in the academy. During November of the following year, his name was inscribed on a CD carried by the 2003 mission of the Mars Exploration Rover. Time magazine chose him as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in 2006. The following year he was made an officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters, and in 2008 he received the rank of commander in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. That same year, Dr Hawass was presented with a World Tourism Award and designated a Goodwill Ambassador to Japan by the Egyptian and Japanese Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

He is currently working as a lecturer in Egypt and all over the world. In cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, he promotes Egypt’s tourism globally. He is also a writer of weekly articles in several Egyptian newspapers and magazines, as well as in the London-based newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. Dr Hawass is also working as an archaeologist and consultant for SC Exhibitions – Semmel Concerts GmbH, promoting the exhibition “Tutankhamun – His Tomb and His Treasures”. His recent book Discovering Tutankhamun: From Howard Carter to DNA was published by the American University in Cairo Press with the cooperation of Semmel Concerts. Dr Hawass’ website is a popular source of information about ancient Egypt.

In December 2014, Yasser Elnaggar was appointed as Principal Deputy Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform, Arab Republic of Egypt. Mr. Elnaggar served as the “Overall Coordinator” for the Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC) that took place in Sharm Elsheikh during the period 13-15 March 2015. Prior to that, Mr. Elnaggar was the Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Washington since 2010. During his time in Washington, Mr. Elnaggar played a leading role in the Embassy during the unfolding events of the 25th of January revolution and the 30th of June revolution. Mr. Elnaggar supervised the entire process of the first ever parliamentary election for Egyptian Expats in the United States, as well as subsequent presidential elections and referendum on the new constitution; he also organized bilateral visits of Egyptian officials including the visit of the President of the Arab republic of Egypt to New York in September 2014, the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington D.C. to participate in the US Africa leaders’ Summit in August 2014, as well as numerous visits of cabinet members to Washington DC, and visits of U.S. officials and business community members to Cairo.

Mr. Elnaggar has over 20 years of diplomatic experience where he has held several posts such as: Senior Policy Adviser to the Presidents of the 61st and 64th sessions at the General Assembly of the United Nations, Director of the Department of United Nations Affairs at the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Egypt, Counselor at the permanent mission of Egypt to the United Nations in New York as well as Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt.

Peter Herdrich is the Co-founder of the Antiquities Coalition, where he directs strategic digital cultural heritage projects. He works with the Ministry of Culture and Arts in Algeria on digital infrastructure and with three religious minority communities in Iraq on digitization of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, funded by the United States Agency for International Development. 

He initiated the Digital Library of the Middle East (DLME) project with Dr. Charles Henry at the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The DLME currently resides at the Qatar National Library. He also directs projects with CLIR, helping build the first functional digital library in Iraq at the Kurdish Heritage Institute in Sulaymaniyah and conducting an emergency digitization and documentation project at the National Museum in Aden, Yemen in association with the Egyptian Heritage Rescue Fund. 

Mr. Herdrich is the Chief Executive Officer of the Cultural Capital Group, consulting with clients across the cultural heritage, communications, and library sectors. He formerly served as CEO of the Archaeological Institute of America and publisher of Archeology magazine. He is a graduate of Columbia University.

Brigadier General (Ret.) Howard is rancher in Paso Robles, California. He is also Senior Fellow at the Joint Special Operations University in Tampa Florida. General Howard is also a member of the Antiquities Coalition Advisory Council. Previously, General Howard was the Senior Adviser to Singapore’s Home Team Academy, the founding Director of The Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, the Head of the Department of Social Sciences and the founding director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.

His previous Army positions include chief of staff fellow at the Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, and commander of the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Lewis, Washington. Other assignments include assistant to the Special Representative to the Secretary General during United Nations Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM) II, deputy chief of staff for I Corps, and chief of staff and deputy commander for the Combined Joint Task Force, Haiti/Haitian Advisory Group. Previously, he was commander of 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He also served as the administrative assistant to Admiral Stansfield Turner and as a special assistant to the commander of SOUTHCOM.

As a newly commissioned officer, he served as an “A” team commander in the 7th Special Forces Group from 1970 to 1972. He left the active component and then served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1972 to 1980. During this period he served as an overseas manager, American International Underwriters, Melbourne, Australia, and China tour manager for Canadian Pacific Airlines. He was recalled to active duty in 1980 and served initially in Korea as an infantry company commander. Subsequent assignments included classified project officer, U.S. Army 1st Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, and operations officer and company commander, 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group in Okinawa, Japan.

General Howard has a B.S. in Industrial Management from San Jose State University and a B.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Maryland. He also has an M.A. in International Management from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and an MPA from Harvard University.

Joan M. McEntee is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MKBC, and was formerly the International Group Chair, in the Washington, D.C. office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz (BDBC), representing the interests of multinational corporations in international trade. Drawing on her high level previous experience in the U.S. Government, Ms. McEntee assists companies in meeting challenges in emerging and developed countries around the world, predominately China.

She maintains strong relationships with the Chinese government leadership at the Ministerial, Provincial, and local levels throughout China as well as the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. MKBC maintains a Representative Office in Beijing, which Ms.McEntee established in 2001 to help assist clients. In 2006, the National Development and Reform Commission, a cabinet level body under China’s State Council, designated Ms. McEntee (and subsequently, MKBC) as an economic partner. Working with her vast array of Chinese relationships, Ms. McEntee has successfully assisted companies in raising their visibility, resolving problems, and expanding production.

Ms. McEntee served for six years in a number of senior international trade positions in the U.S. government, covering communication, transportation, aviation, defense and environmental issues. As Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, Ms. McEntee was a key policy advisor to the Secretary of Commerce on a wide range of trade issues. As Deputy Under Secretary for Export Administration, Ms. McEntee was the senior policy official at Commerce on technology transfer issues. In both capacities she was responsible for management of top trade policy issues as well as public affairs, congressional affairs, and legal services offices.

Prior to her service at the Department of Commerce, Ms. McEntee served as Deputy to the Chief of Staff for the Vice-President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, and as Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. Ms. McEntee received her B.A. from Marymount College in New York, her M.A. in Government and Public Administration from The American University, and her J.D. from the Washington College of Law at The American University. She is on the Board of the Forum for International Policy, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American and District of Columbia Bar Associations. Among her Chinese Advisory roles have been the Provinces of Yunnan and Jiangsu, as well as cities such as Kunming and Xian.

Laurie Ossman joined the Antiquities Coalition Advisory Council in May 2017. Previously, Laurie was the Director of Museum Affairs at the Preservation Society of Newport County. She oversaw the curatorial, conservation, interpretation and academic initiatives at the Preservation Society’s 11 historic properties– seven of them National Historic Landmarks– which range in date from the mid-18th to the early 20th centuries. With a collection of 55,000 objects comprised of fine and decorative arts, photographs, prints and drawings the Preservation Society’s AAM-accredited house museums provide more than one million tours annually, making it one of the largest cultural organizations in New England.

Laurie has also served as Director of Woodlawn Plantation and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House in Alexandria, Virginia, during which time she was an affiliated fellow of The American Academy in Rome in historic preservation. She previously served as Deputy Director of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami; Chief Curator at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Guest Curator of the Maryland Historical Society’s “Looking for Liberty” state history overview exhibition and Curator and Restoration Project Manager for Cá d’Zan, the Ringling mansion at the in Sarasota, Florida.   In addition, she has held research positions at The Smithsonian Institution and The Curator’s Office at The White House.

Dr. Ossman graduated with honors from Brown University, earning her Master’s degree in Architectural History from the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia, followed by her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, also from UVA. She has been an instructor in the history of American architecture and urban planning and has lectured and written extensively on the architectural history and historic preservation, with a particular interest in architecture and cultural identity. She is the author of several books including Carrere and Hastings: The Masterworks, with Heather Ewing (NY: Rizzoli USA), and Great Houses of the South (NY: Rizzoli USA), as well as a contributor to The Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects (NY:  Penguin, 2013).  Her most recent book for Rizzoli, The Gentleman’s Farm (NY:  Rizzoli USA) was released in March 2016.

Brian Rose (B.A. Haverford College; M. A., Ph.D. Columbia University) is James B. Pritchard Professor of Archaeology and Curator-in-Charge of the Mediterranean Section of the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Since 1988 he has been Head of Post-Bronze Age excavations at Troy, and is English language editor of Studia Troica, the annual journal of the Troy excavations. His new survey project in the Granicus River Valley focuses on recording and mapping the Graeco-Persian tombs that dominate the area. His research has also concentrated on the political and artistic relationship between Rome and the provinces (Dynastic Commemoration and Imperial Portraiture in the Julio-Claudian Period, Cambridge University Press, 1997). He is Vice President of the American Research Institute in Turkey, First Vice-President of the Archaeological Institute of America, and a Trustee of the American Academy in Rome. His recent seminars have dealt with Roman Topography, the Archaeology of Troy, Augustan Rome, and Roman Republican sculpture, architecture, and coinage. He is currently finishing the final publication of the architecture and architectural decoration of the Roman houses at Troy.

Larry Schwartz recently retired from the U.S. Department of State as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, responsible for directing U.S. public affairs, educational and cultural affairs programs between the United States and partners in the Middle East – North Africa region.

Mr. Schwartz served in diplomatic assignments in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, East Asia and Europe for over 34 years, where work in partnership with governments and educational institutions revealed the vulnerability of cultural heritage to destruction for both economic and political reasons. After the fall of Taliban rule, Mr. Schwartz worked with staff and partners in Kabul to fund the protection of sites across Afghanistan and the rebuilding of the National Museum. He also worked to preserve historic sites across the South Asia region, particularly while serving in India and Pakistan.

As founding co-chair of the Global Coalition Against ISIL’s Communications Working Group, Mr. Schwartz helped focus international outrage over ISIL’s cultural heritage destruction and antiquities sales fundraising.

Mr. Schwartz has been assisting the Antiquities Coalition on its campaign against cultural racketeering since 2016.