Roger D. Carstens
Former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Inaugural John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Distinguished Senior Fellow, McCain Institute; Former Fellow, 麻豆果冻传媒 Future Security Program
Roger D. Carstens is the inaugural John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Distinguished Senior Fellow at the McCain Institute. Prior to assuming this role, he was the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) at the U.S. Department of State. He previously served in Amman, Jordan, as the Country Director for a U.S.-based international nongovernmental organization that provided humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons. Carstens is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who served in Special Forces and the 1st Ranger Battalion. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Carstens received the 2023 Robert A. Levinson Excellence in Government Service Award and was selected as a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment.