Released by the Office of Policy Planning
June 17, 2009
Jillian Burns joined the Policy Planning Staff in August 2008 and is responsible for issues relating to Iran and Iraq. A career Foreign Service Officer since 1993, Ms. Burns previously served in the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, first as an Iran watcher and head of the political/economic section, then as the first director of the Iran Regional Presence Office, opened in 2006. Prior to that, she served in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs on the Syria desk and on the Iran desk. She worked as a Watch Officer and Senior Watch Officer in the State Department Operations Center, as well as serving in the U.S. Embassy in Poland and in Jordan.
Ms. Burns received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Davidson College and her Master of Arts in Journalism & Mass Communication from the University of Georgia. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she taught communications at Georgia Southern University.
