Chan Heng Chee took up her appointment as Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States in 1996. Prior to her appointment, she was the Executive Director of the Singapore International Foundation (which created a Singapore version of the Peace Corps) and Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. She was the founding Director of the Institute of Policy Studies. She has served as Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and was concurrently High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico. Ambassador Chan has received a number of awards including Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Letters from the University of Newcastle, Australia; and the University of Buckingham (United Kingdom). She was named International Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women in 1998 and she won Singapore's inaugural "Woman of the Year, Award”. She received the National Book Award in the non-fiction section for "A Sensation of Independence: A Political Biography of David Marshall" in 1986 and the National Book Award for "The Dynamics of One Party Dominance: The PAP at the Grassroots" in 1978.              Ambassador Chan has served as a member on the International Advisory Board of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the International Council of the Asia Society.              Ambassador Chan received from the Government of Singapore The Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 1999 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2005.              Ambassador Chan was educated at the University of Singapore and Cornell University. . . . . .