(Washington) - The United States Institute of Peace has named William B. Taylor, Jr. to be vice president of the Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability effective October 1, 2009.

Ambassador Taylor served as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to June 2009. In his new capacity at USIP, Taylor will lead the Institute's efforts in societies emerging from conflict, including overseeing Institute operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"We are very fortunate that Bill Taylor is joining the Institute" said Richard H. Solomon, president of the U.S. Institute of Peace. "Ambassador Taylor brings a wealth of experience in many conflict zones around the world."

Until February 2006 he was the U.S. government's representative to the Quartet's effort to facilitate the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, led by Special Envoy James Wolfensohn in Jerusalem. The Quartet special envoy was responsible for the economic aspects of this disengagement.

Prior to this assignment, Ambassador Taylor served in Baghdad as director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office (2004-2005), in Kabul as coordinator of U.S. government and international assistance to Afghanistan (2002-2003) and in Washington with the rank of ambassador as coordinator of U.S. government assistance to the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (1992-2002).

He previously served in Brussels as deputy defense adviser at the U.S. Mission to NATO, in Washington on the staff of Senator Bill Bradley, at the National Defense University and in the U.S. Department of Energy.

As an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, he served in Vietnam and Germany. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.