WASHINGTON—Kay King, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, has been named director of the new Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at the United States Institute of Peace. She will lead and expand outreach initiatives to Congress, the media, and the public for the Institute, and advance its mission to promote the prevention, management, and peaceful resolution of international conflicts.

King brings a wide range of professional experience in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors to the Institute. Most recently, she ran a government relations consulting practice that advised clients in the U.S. foreign policy and international education communities. Before joining the U.S. State Department in 1999, she served for nine years as the first executive director of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA).

Prior to heading APSIA, King was senior legislative assistant for foreign and defense policy to Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-Delware). She also worked at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and on the editorial staff of Foreign Affairs magazine.

King served in several key roles in the Women's Foreign Policy Group and is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and the American Council on Germany. She co-authored "Professional Schools of International Affairs on the Eve of the 21st Century" and "Undergraduate International Studies on the Eve of the 21st Century."

Institute president Richard H. Solomon said, "We are delighted to add Kay King, with her diverse strengths, to our team. Strengthening the Institute's relations with Congress and its outreach to the public are critical to our mission."

King holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Vassar College and a master of international affairs degree from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

King assumed her new position on January 26, 2004.