Hisham Mohiddin Nazer ’57, M.A. ’58

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For three decades, Hisham Mohiddin Nazer has been deftly balancing the demands of two vastly different cultures – that of the United States and of his native Saudi Arabia. A key player in the industrial development of Saudi Arabia, he has served his government in a variety of leadership capacities, many of which have rarely been held by citizens who are not members of the Saudi royal family. Since 1986, he has been the Saudi oil minister; he also serves as an OPEC governor, and in 1988 he became chairman of the Arabian American Oil Company.

As a government leader educated in the United States, he has consistently worked to strengthen Saudi ties with America and, specifically, with UCLA, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s degree in political science. He has enlisted the help of various UCLA professors in the kingdom’s development of two industrial townships, Jubail and Yanbu, and his continuing interest in his alma mater is also manifested in his support of UCLA: he is a life member of the Alumni Association and the Chancellor’s Associates and is an avid follower of UCLA football. In 1982 to 1983, he was also a Regents’ Lecturer. Well-known for his ingenuity, resourcefulness and diplomacy, Nazer has been the recipient of honors from 16 countries.