Daily Archives: October 27, 2017

CDA Caracas M. Lee McClenny to be U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay

October 27, 2017 By in Foreign Service, FSOs, Nominations, Officially In, U.S. Missions Tags: , , ,

Posted: 1:20 am ET
Follow @Diplopundit

 

On October 26, President Trump announced his intent to nominate M. Lee McClenny to be the U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay. The WH released the following brief bio:

M. Lee McClenny of Washington to be Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Paraguay.  Mr. McClenny, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, began his public service with the U.S. Information Agency in 1986.  He is currently the Chargé d’Affaires e.p. of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela.  He has previously served overseas in Kuala Lumpur, Montreal, Manila, London, Brussels, Guatemala City, Belgrade and Ottawa, as well as in leadership positions at the Department of State and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.  Mr. McClenny is a recipient of the Presidential Meritorious Service Award, and numerous performance awards from the Department of State and U.S. Information Agency.  He received a B.A. from the University of Washington, and speaks Spanish, French, and some Serbo-Croatian and Russian.

Also see US Embassy Caracas: Chargé Lee McClenny Gets the Spotlight, Plus Two Weeks to Downsize

#


Trump to Nominate Career Diplomat Peter H. Vrooman to be U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda

October 27, 2017 By in Foreign Service, FSOs, Nominations, Officially In, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: , , ,

Posted: 1:16 am ET
Follow @Diplopundit

 

On October 26, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Peter Hendrick Vrooman to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda. The WH released the following brief bio:

Peter Hendrick Vrooman of New York to be Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Rwanda.  Mr. Vrooman, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Counselor, has served as an American diplomat since 1991.  He most recently served as Chargé d’Affaires from 2016 to 2017 and Deputy Chief of Mission from 2014 to 2016 at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Mr. Vrooman has held senior positions with the Department of State at home and at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, as well as overseas.  He has served at seven embassies in Africa, the Near East and South Asia.  Mr. Vrooman possesses a deep knowledge of East African issues, expertise in UN peacekeeping, strong management and public diplomacy credentials, and economic/commercial advocacy experience.  He earned a M.S from the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and a B.A. from Harvard College.  He speaks French and Arabic.

 

#

Trump to Nominate FL State Representative Carlos Trujillo to be OAS Ambassador

October 27, 2017 By in Nominations, Officially In, Political Appointees, State Department, Trump Tags: , , , ,

Posted: 1:39 am ET
Follow @Diplopundit

 

On October 26, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Carlos Trujillo, a Florida State Representative to be the next U.S. Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS). The WH released the following brief bio:

Carlos Trujillo of Florida to be the Permanent Representative of the United States to the Organization of American States with the rank of Ambassador. Mr. Trujillo has been the Florida State Representative for the 105th District in the Florida House of Representatives, Tallahassee, Florida since 2010.  An attorney, he simultaneously has been the Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP since 2011 and President of Carlos Trujillo, PA, since 2007.  Previously, he served as a Florida Assistant State Attorney at the Miami Dade County State Attorney’s Office in Miami from 2007 to 2011.  He also has been a Board Member of the Public Health Trust of Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.  Mr. Trujillo earned a B.S. from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama and a J.D. from Florida State College of Law in Tallahassee.  He speaks fluent Spanish.

The Chief of Mission has the title of Permanent Representative of the U.S.A. to the Organization of American States, with the rank of Ambassador; until April 12, 1971, this position was also Representative of the U.S.A. on the Council of the Organization of American States, with the rank of Ambassador.

If confirmed, Mr. Trujillo would succeed noncareer appointee Carmen L. Lomellin who served from 2009–2016 according to history.state.gov.  Mari Del Carmen Aponte was nominated for this position on July 31, 2014, but the nomination was not acted upon by the Senate. She was re-nominated on July 8, 2015, and the nomination was not acted upon and eventually was returned to President Obama on January 3, 2017.

The last career appointee to this position was John F. Maisto who was previously U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua and Venezuela prior to his appointment to the OAS. He served as Permanent Representative of the U.S.A. to the Organization of American States (Washington) from 2003 to 2006.

#