Chan Heng Chee

Chan Heng Chee began as a political scientist, earning degrees in Singapore and at Cornell and writing a doctorate on Singapore’s one party system. She became the first woman to head her university’s political science department and the founding director of the Institute of Policy Studies. She entered diplomatic service at the United Nations in 1989, with concurrent accreditation to Canada and Mexico. ¹

Chan represented Singapore in Washington from 1996 to 2012. Her tenure began amid the political strains following the caning of American teenager Michael Fay and encompassed the 2003 free trade agreement and the 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement on defense cooperation. ¹

After Washington she became ambassador at large and continued work in higher education, the arts, and international affairs. Her roles included chairing the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute and serving on the Presidential Council for Minority Rights. At the end of her American posting she received the U.S. Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award. ²