The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies has named Marisa R. Lino, former U.S. ambassador to Albania, as the new director of its center in Bologna, Italy. This post will be her third in that country. In her longtime career in the State Department, she served as consul general in Florence from 1990 to 1993 and as a management officer in Rome from 1983 to 1985.

Lino will assume the position on Aug. 1, succeeding Robert Evans, who is retiring after 11 years as director of the Bologna Center. She will be responsible for the academic and administrative components of the center and also will teach one course each semester.

Marisa R. Lino

The Bologna Center was established in 1955 to serve as SAIS' European campus. Offering a graduate-level international relations program following the American system, the center features an international composition of faculty, staff and 150 students from more than 35 countries. The vast majority of students enrolled in Bologna complete their master's degree in international relations at the SAIS campus in Washington.

The center also offers a research-oriented master of arts in international affairs for non-U.S. students and a one-year diploma in international studies.

Jessica Einhorn, dean of SAIS, said, "The Bologna campus is integral to the SAIS education, and the Bologna director is our leader in assuring that our students there benefit fully from this great academic opportunity. Ambassador Lino combines the attributes of leadership, administration and representation, along with great understanding of the Italian culture, that defined the goals of our search. Throughout Johns Hopkins University, all who have met her look forward to a long and productive collegial relationship," she said.

In her nearly 30 years of distinguished service in the State Department, Lino held overseas positions in Albania, Italy, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq and Peru. Most recently, she has served since September 2000 as a senior adviser for the State Department's Political Military Affairs Bureau. In this role, she has led various negotiations with foreign governments on the legal and financial arrangements and coverage for military and civilian Defense Department personnel deployed abroad. From 1999 to 2000, Lino was a senior inspector in the agency's Office of the Inspector General. She was ambassador to the Republic of Albania from 1996 to 1999.

A native of Portland, Ore., Lino received her bachelor's degree in political science from Portland State University in 1971 and her master's degree in international affairs from the George Washington University's Elliot School of International Affairs in 1972. In May 1999, she received an honorary doctorate of international affairs from John Cabot University, an American and international university in Rome. Lino has earned four Superior Honor Awards and one Meritorious Honor Award during her Foreign Service career. She speaks fluent Italian, French, Spanish and Serbo-Croatian.