President Biden announced his intent to nominate Jonathan Kaplan to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. The WH released the following brief bio:
Jonathan Eric Kaplan, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Singapore
Jonathan Kaplan currently serves as Chairperson of the EducationSuperHighway, a nonprofit organization that works with governors and officials across the nation to provide American public school classrooms access to high-speed internet connections. An entrepreneur and innovator, Kaplan most recently was the Chairperson and CEO of FishSix Restaurant Corporation. Prior to that, as Chairperson and CEO of Pure Digital Technologies, he invented and marketed the revolutionary Flip video camera and, when Pure Digital was acquired by Cisco Systems, Kaplan became Senior Vice President and General Manager of its Consumer Products Division. Earlier Kaplan was President and CEO of Sega.com, Founder and CEO of MovieStreet, Vice President and General Manager of Geoworks, and Vice-President of Hands On Technology. Kaplan serves as an advisor for the Young Presidents Organization, meeting with corporate management and government leaders in dozens of countries. Kaplan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial management from Carnegie Mellon University and was the 2010 Ernst & Young Northern California Entrepreneur of the Year.
If confirmed, Mr. Kaplan would succeed Ambassador Kirk W.B. Wagar who served as Ambassador to Singapore from September 25, 2013–January 20, 2017 under President Obama. Trump nominated Kathleen T. Mcfarland on June 15, 2017 and renominated her on January 8, 2018. Her nomination was eventually withdrawn on February 5, 2018 (see Nominee/Candidates For U.S. Ambassadorships to Singapore, Austria, and South Korea Withdraw From Consideration).
In 2019, Trump nominated Barbera Hale Thornhill to be U.S. Ambassador to Singapore (see Interior Design Businesswoman Barbera Hale Thornhill to be U.S. Ambassador to Singapore). The nomination was returned to the President on January 3, 2021.
Biden picks tech entrepreneur Jonathan Kaplan to fill the post of U.S. ambassador to Singapore — which somewhat bizarrely has been sitting vacant for 4.5 years. https://t.co/V2KtjQEkJe via @bpolitics
— Derek Wallbank (@dwallbank) July 30, 2021
Here are some of the Bay Area bundlers who Joe Biden could name to be U.S. Ambassador.
One person to keep an eye on is Jonathan Kaplan, the Big Grilled Cheese magnate (@The_Melt!) and the guy who brought you the Flip video camera. pic.twitter.com/BDJbxAE5Kp
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) June 30, 2021
It’s not every day that you can say the PRESIDENT(!) is a fan of your restaurant, so we’ll be having the JB special in his honor today: our three cheese classic w/ tomato & a double chocolate shake. 🧀 🇺🇸 🧀
Congrats @joebiden and @kamalaharris!
📸: @sfgate pic.twitter.com/zniPDvroj6— the_melt (@The_Melt) November 7, 2020
Big News for Flip: Pure Digital Technologies, founded by CEO Jonathan Kaplan (CMU alumnus '90), bought by CISCO http://tinyurl.com/cn99y4
— Carnegie Mellon University (@CarnegieMellon) March 20, 2009
Related posts:
- Certificate of Demonstrated Competence: Interior Design Executive Barbera Hale Thornhill (Nominee For Singapore) May 4, 2020
- Interior Design Businesswoman Barbera Hale Thornhill to be U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Oct 2019
- July 20 SFRC Hearing: Kathleen Troia McFarland to be U.S. Ambassador to Singapore July 2017
- K.T. McFarland: From the National Security Council to U.S. Embassy Singapore June 2017
- Nominee/Candidates For U.S. Ambassadorships to Singapore, Austria, and South Korea Withdraw From Consideration 2018