Deborah M. Lehr is Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the Paulson Institute, where she advises on U.S.–China relations and oversees the Institute’s programs, including the Green Finance Center. She previously advised Henry M. Paulson during his tenure as Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs and later as U.S. Treasury Secretary, helping to launch the U.S.–China Strategic Economic Dialogue. Lehr has also held senior roles at Merrill Lynch and the New York Stock Exchange, and built successful consulting practices, including Stonebridge China and Basilinna, a firm focused on China and the Middle East.

In government, Lehr served in the White House as Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council and as Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for China, where she was a lead negotiator for China’s accession to the World Trade Organization and multiple intellectual property agreements.

Lehr is Founder and Chairman of the Antiquities Coalition, working globally to combat the illicit trade in antiquities. She serves on the boards of the World Monuments Fund and the Middle East Institute, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and sits on the International Advisory Board of the London School of Economics. UNESCO named her among its inaugural list of accomplished global women, and she is a recipient of the Hadrian Award from the World Monuments Fund.