Former Ambassador Jeff Flake to join World Trade Center Utah board

Veteran U.S. politician, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and BYU alumnus Jeff Flake has just been named the new board chairman for World Trade Center Utah.

The Arizona native and father of five children recently became a resident of Utah following the end of his ambassadorship earlier this month.

“I’m thrilled to join WTC Utah,” Flake said in a press release. “Utah has strong global partnerships, and its innovative business ecosystem and entrepreneurial spirit create opportunities for international expansion. I’m confident that we can enhance Utah’s position as a key player in the global economy and create lasting opportunities for business across the state.”

In 2000, Flake won a seat as a Republican representing Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives and served six consecutive terms before heading to the upper house as an Arizona senator, where he served a six-year term from 2013 to 2019. While a senator, Flake served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology & the Law as well as chairing the Africa Subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee. In 2021, Flake was appointed the U.S. ambassador to Turkey by President Joe Biden, where he served in that diplomatic role until Sept. 1 of this year.

Prior to entering Congress, Flake served as executive director of the Goldwater Institute in Arizona. He also directed the Foundation for Democracy in Namibia during that nation’s transition to independence. While at BYU, Flake earned degrees in international relations and political science.

World Trade Center Utah said Flake’s background and experience “aligns perfectly with WTC Utah’s mission to elevate Utah companies on the global stage and drive economic resilience.”

“Ambassador Flake’s appointment as chair reinforces our ongoing commitment to combining diplomatic expertise with business acumen,” said Jonathan Freedman, president and CEO of WTC Utah.

In addition to announcing Flake as WTC Utah’s new board chairman on Monday, succeeding former Utah governor and U.S. ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr., WTC Utah also shared news that Paul Burdiss, president and CEO of Zions Bank and former CFO of Zions Bancorporation, has joined WTC Utah’s board of directors.

“Together (Ambassador Flake and Paul Burdiss) ... will enhance our ability to create new global opportunities for Utah companies, continuing our established focus on the intersection of commerce and international relations,” Freedman said.

Earlier this year, Flake spoke to Deseret News political reporter Samuel Benson about his work as a diplomat in an area that became an unexpected hot zone when, just a month after he assumed the duties of his U.S. ambassadorship, Russia invaded Ukraine, just across the Black Sea from Turkey. Then, a year-and-a-half later, war broke out to the south, when Hamas attacked Israel.

Turkey borders Syria, Iraq, Iran, Armenia and Georgia. It shares the Black Sea with Ukraine and Russia. As a Muslim-majority country, its population is sympathetic to Palestine. “There’s a lot going on,” Flake said.

“When the White House asked if I’d consider something, I said, ‘Only if it’s consequential,’” Flake said in the May interview. He laughed. “We overshot the mark.”