Mustafa Popal is a senior American diplomat with the rank of Minister-Counselor. Since 2023, he has been serving as a Senior State Department Fellow with Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. Prior to Georgetown University, he was Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Deputy Executive Secretary to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.

Mustafa’s diplomatic postings abroad include Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, and Kuwait. He has also served at the White House as NSC Director for Iran and Gulf Affairs and Special Advisor to the Vice President for the Middle East and South/Central Asia in the Obama Administration. Before joining the Foreign Service, Mustafa Popal was Country Director for Afghanistan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon during the Bush Administration. Mustafa immigrated to America as a refugee from Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war. He is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Medal, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Honor Award and the Department of State Award for Heroism. He attended Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Tuft University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He resides in Washington, D.C.