Frank G . Wisner Frank George Wisner II ( born July 2 , 1938 ) is an American businessman and former diplomat . He is the son of Frank Wisner ( 1909 – 1965 ) . On January 31 , 2011 , he was sent to Egypt by President Barack Obama to negotiate a resolution to the popular protests against the regime that have swept the country . A White House spokesman said that Wisner had vast experience in the region as well as close relationships with many Egyptians in and out of government . The New York Times reports that he is a personal friend of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak . Speaking on the BBC on February 5 , 2011 , he exceeded statements issued by the White House to date and insisted that President Mubarak should be allowed to remain in office despite widespread calls for him to step down . Wisner was born in New York on July 2 , 1938 . He attended Woodberry Forest School , and then attended Princeton University , graduating in 1961 . He joined the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer in December of that year . In 1976 , at the beginning of the Carter administration , he served under Cyrus Vance as Deputy Executive Secretary of the Department of State . Among his overseas assignments , Wisner served as the United States Ambassador to Zambia ( 1979 – 82 ) ; Egypt ( 1986 – 91 ) , the Philippines ( 1991 – 92 ) , and India , 1994 – 97 . After retiring from government service in 1997 , Wisner joined the board at a subsidiary of Enron , the former energy company and served on the board of A . I . G . . In late 2002 , Wisner co - chaired an independent working group which developed a model for the US ' s post - conflict role in Iraq , should an invasion occur . Their published recommendations included : establishment of law and order through the retraining of the Iraqi army , focusing on the distribution of humanitarian assistance and reestablishment of vital services , and the importance of avoiding the appointment of exiled Iraqi opposition leaders to dominant positions in the new government . Wisner is an Advisory Board member for the Partnership for a Secure America , a not - for - profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy . In 2012 he succeeded Paul A . Volcker as chairman of the board of Trustees of International House , the cultural - exchange residence and program center in New York City . He also serves on the Advisory Board of the National Security Network , and on the board of Refugees International . Currently he ' s a member of the board for EOG Resources Inc . In June 2013 , it was announced that Ambassador Wisner joined the advisory board of Ergo , a global intelligence and advisory firm . 2011 Egypt protests . Wisner was involved in a diplomatic gaffe during the uprising in Egypt in early 2011 . The Obama administration asked Wisner to carry views to Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak , including advice that Mubarak should resign to defuse the crisis . Wisner was not successful in convincing the dictator of the wisdom of the administration ' s suggestions . Just 4 days later , after a day in which Mubarak allies took violent reprisal against democracy activists , Wisner spoke to a security conference in Europe and called it " crucial " that Mubarak stay on in the interest of " stability " , in direct contradiction of the American policy he had been asked to convey . The State Department immediately disavowed his comments and disparaged his previous role , saying he had not served as envoy , but merely as an available conduit for certain administration views Adding fuel to the furor over Wisner ' s comments was the fact that after retirement from the diplomatic corps , he had been a highly placed official of a firm that has lobbied on behalf of the dictator , as well as serving on the board of the largest Egyptian bank .