Category Archives: Ambassadors

New AFSA Governing Board (2019-2021 )Takes Office

August 7, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Foreign Service, FS Groups, State Department, USAID Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

New AFSA Governing Board (2019-2021). Photo by AFSA/Twitter

The 2019-2021 American Foreign Service Association Governing Board took office on July 15. It will serve a two-year term (Also see 2019-2021 AFSA Governing Board Election Results). Below via AFSA:

Incoming President Ambassador Eric Rubin comes to AFSA from his posting as Ambassador to Bulgaria, where he served from three years. He was previously deputy chief of mission in Moscow, deputy assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, consul general in Chiang Mai, executive assistant to the under secretary of State for political affairs and Rusk Fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.

Foreign Service Officer Thomas Yazdgerdi, AFSA’s new Vice President of the Department of State constituency, is a 28-year veteran of the State Department. Yazdgerdi is finishing his tenure as Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, but has also served in Kabul, Kirkuk, Baghdad, Pristina, Panama, Bratislava, Tirana and Athens, as well as Director of the Office of South Central European Affairs.

John K. Naland returns as Vice President for the retiree constituency. He has held numerous positions on AFSA’s board, including State Vice President and AFSA President.

Foreign Service Officers Jason Singer, Jay Carreiro and Michael Riedel will serve as Vice Presidents of the USAID, Foreign Commercial Service and Foreign Agricultural Service constituencies, respectively.

Completing AFSA’s leadership team, retired senior FSO Virginia L. Bennett will serve as Treasurer and Kenneth Kero-Mentz will serve as the organization’s Secretary.

Complete bios for AFSA’s elected leadership, including all officers and constituency representatives, can be found on the AFSA website.

#

Advertisements

United States Diplomacy Center Seeks Diplomatic Artifacts For Its Collection

August 5, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Diplomatic History, Diplomatic Life, Foreign Service, Hostages, Org Life, State Department Tags: , , ,

Help Fund the Blog |  Countdown: Less Than 24 Hours to Go

______________________________________

 

In 1979, John Limbert was a new FSO posted to the U.S. Embassy in Tehran when it was overrun by Iranian students. He was one of the fifty-two U.S. personnel who spent 444 days as Iran hostages from 1979-81. Later in his career, he was appointed Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Ambassador Limbert and other Americans at the embassy were held captive for 14 months, and among their many hardships, they also contended with not having a change of clothes. He has now donated the items he wore and a pair of sandals given to him by his captors to the U.S. Diplomacy Center’s collection of diplomatic artifacts.

Via USDC:
The United States Diplomacy Center is actively seeking artifacts that represent American diplomacy and the work of the United States Department of State. These artifacts can come from a variety of individuals and sources. Anyone currently or previously working in a diplomatic capacity might have objects that could be a good fit for our collection. If you have items you might be interested in donating, please email them directly for more information. (Also see U.S. Diplomacy Center: Baseball Autographed by Russian Human Rights Activists). 
Specific areas of collecting interest include (but are not limited to) objects which illustrate the following:
      • Diplomat’s work on the range of global issues today, including examples from programs and partnerships
      • The challenges diplomats face while performing their jobs (security; health; communications; transportation)
      • The unique relationships and connections made through diplomacy
      • Diplomatic events, people, and places throughout U.S. history
      • The wide range of work performed at embassies, consulates, and missions
      • Tools, equipment, and clothing representing diplomatic efforts
      • And of course documents, pens, and diplomatic gifts
The United States Diplomacy Center collects primarily for exhibition purposes; USDC is not a research collection nor an archives.  Acceptance of an artifact does not guarantee exhibition for any length of time.  However, the Center strives to display as much of its collection as possible, either in-person or online.
Email the Center at DiplomacyCenter@state.gov.
Check out their online collection.

#

 

U.S. Embassy Eritrea CDA Natalie E. Brown to be U.S. Ambassador to Uganda

August 5, 2019 By in AF |Africa, Ambassadors, chargé d’affaires, FSOs, Nominations, Officially In, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: , , ,

Help Fund the Blog |  Countdown: Less Than 24 Hours to Go

______________________________________

 

On July 30, 2019, the WH announced the president’s intent to nominate Natalie E. Brown of Nebraska, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Uganda. The WH released the following brief bio:
Ms. Brown, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, currently serves as the Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Eritrea.  She previously served as Deputy Permanent Representative and Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Mission to the United Nations Agencies in Rome, Italy, and as Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia.  Ms. Brown also served overseas at the United States embassies in Jordan, Kuwait, Ethiopia, and Guinea.  In Washington, she served as Senior Watch Officer in the State Department Executive Secretariat’s Operations Center, International Affairs Officer in the Office of United Nations Political Affairs in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, and Desk Officer for the Office of West African Affairs in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.  Ms. Brown earned her B.S. from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and M.S. from the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College.  She speaks French and Arabic, and has studied Italian, German, Amharic, and Tigrinya.

If confirmed, Ms. Brown would succeed Deborah Ruth Malac (1955–) who was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Kampala from May 2015 until the present. Previous appointees to this position includes Scott H. DeLisi (1953–), Nancy Jo Powell (1947–) who later became DGHR, and Johnnie Carson (1943–) who later served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

 

#

Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism Alina L. Romanowski to be to U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait

August 5, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Career Employees, Nominations, Officially In, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , ,

Help Fund the Blog |  Countdown: Less Than 24 Hours to Go

______________________________________

 

On July 25, the WH announced the president’s intent to nominate Alina L. Romanowski, of Illinois, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the State of Kuwait. The WH released the following brief bio:
Ms. Romanowski, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State. Previously, she served as the Coordinator for United States Assistance to Europe and Eurasia in the Department’s Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs, and the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Middle East Bureau of the United States Agency for International Development.  Ms. Romanowski was twice a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.  At the Defense Department, she was the founding Director of the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs.
Ms. Romanowski earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Chicago.  She is the recipient of a Presidential Distinguished Rank Award and two Presidential Meritorious Rank Awards.  She speaks French and has studied Arabic and Hebrew.

If confirmed, Ms. Romanowski would succeed Ambassador Lawrence R. Silverman who assumed his post as U.S. Ambassador  to Kuwait on September 19, 2016. Previous appointees  to this position includes Deborah Kay Jones (1956–)  who served from April 28, 2008–June 30, 2011; Matthew Haywood Tueller (1957–) who served from September 28, 2011–April 28, 2014 and is now U.S. Ambassador to Iraq; and Douglas Alan Silliman (1960–) who served from  September 15, 2014–August 3, 2016, and was previously the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq prior to retiring from the Foreign Service in 2019. He is now president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

#

U.S. Senate Confirms 9 Ambassadors, 9 Foreign Service Lists as It Adjourn For a 39-Day Recess

August 2, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Confirmations, Foreign Service, FSOs, Political Appointees, State Department, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , ,

Help Fund the Blog |  Countdown:  4 Days to Go

______________________________________

On August 1st, the U.S. Senate voted on the confirmation of multiple nominees including eight ambassador nominations. In July, it also confirmed  a few nominees and nine FS lists for the State Department. The senators will now go and have their 39-day recess. The next Senate vote will not occur until September 9.
2019-08-01 PN4 Cote d’Ivoire |  Richard K. Bell, of Pennsylvania, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire.
2019-08-01 PN123 Uruguay | Kenneth S. George, of Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.
2019-08-01 PN133 Cambodia | W. Patrick Murphy, of Vermont, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Cambodia.
2019-08-01 PN523 Mexico | Christopher Landau, of Maryland, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Mexican States.
2019-08-01 PN565 Libya | Richard B. Norland, of Iowa, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Libya.
2019-08-01 PN616 Egypt | Jonathan R. Cohen, of California, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Arab Republic of Egypt.
2019-08-01 PN715 Colombia | Philip S. Goldberg, of the District of Columbia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Ambassador, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Colombia.
2019-08-01 PN889 Nigeria | Mary Beth Leonard, of Massachusetts, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
2019-08-01 PN716 African Union | Jessica E. Lapenn, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Representative of the United States of America to the African Union, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
2019-07-31 PN712 United Nations | Kelly Craft, of Kentucky, to be the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and the Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations.
2019-07-18 PN108 Slovenia | Lynda Blanchard, of Alabama, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Slovenia.
2019-07-18 PN143 Jamaica | Donald R. Tapia, of Arizona, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Jamaica.
2019-06-27 PN129 El Salvador | Ronald Douglas Johnson, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of El Salvador.
Foreign Service Lists (click on link to view the names)
2019-07-31 PN605 Foreign Service | Nominations beginning Jennifer M. Adams, and ending Sarah-Ann Lynch, which 6 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on April 10, 2019.
2019-07-31 PN608 Foreign Service | Nomination for William S. Martin, which nomination was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on April 10, 2019.
2019-07-31 PN609 Foreign Service | Nominations beginning Christine Byrne, and ending Robert Mason, which 2 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on April 10, 2019.
2019-07-31 PN785 Foreign Service | Nominations beginning James J. Higgiston, and ending Bobby G. Richey, Jr., which 2 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on May 21, 2019.
2019-07-31 PN787-1 Foreign Service |Nominations beginning Uchenna Nnayelugo Agu, and ending Jaime Alber Zea Cifuentes, which 264 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on May 21, 2019.
2019-07-31 PN789 Foreign Service | Nominations beginning Allison Margaret Bartels, and ending Yang Q. Zhou, which 117 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on May 21, 2019.
2019-07-31 PN790 Foreign Service | Nominations beginning Vanessa L. Adams, and ending Lyndsey K. Yoshino-Spencer, which 81 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on May 21, 2019.
2019-07-31 PN791 Foreign Service | Nominations beginning Sonja Joy Andersen, and ending Sandra M. Zuniga Guzman, which 68 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on May 21, 2019.
2019-07-31 PN788-1 Foreign Service | Nominations beginning Jennifer Ann Amos, and ending Michael L. Mahoney, which 102 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on May 21, 2019.

 

#

Senate Confirms US Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft to be @USUN Ambassador #HappyMitch #Happy

August 2, 2019 By in Ambassadors, chargé d’affaires, Confirmations, Consulate General, DCM, Foreign Service, FSOs, Political Appointees, Realities of the FS, U.S. Missions, U.S. Senate, UN Tags: , , , , ,

Help Fund the Blog |  Countdown:  4 Days to Go

______________________________________

 

Update: On August 1st, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Acting USUN Jonathan Cohen to be U.S. Ambassador to Egypt.
On July 31st, the U.S. Senate confirmed the US Ambassador to Canada Kelly to be Trump’s new Ambassador to the United Nations in a 56-33 vote. The GOP has a majority in the U.S. Senate, and with the Senate Majority Leader’s support, this confirmation was never in doubt in our minds even with the Democrat’s scathing report. But it looks like five Democrats also joined all but two Republicans in confirming this nominee. Seven Democrats, two Republicans and one Independent were listed as “not voting.”
At the United Nations, we anticipate that her transition will not be easy given the deep experience of most of her predecessors and her diplomatic counterparts from  193 member states. Four of the five permanent members at the UN: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom also did not send political donors to the international body as their representatives. The Chinese ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun has over 30 years of diplomatic experience. Moscow’s man at the UN Nebenzya Vasily Alekseevich similarly has over three decades of diplomatic experience. The French representative to the UN Nicolas de Rivière has diplomatic experience going back all the way to the 1990s. United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Karen Pierce has been with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office since 1981.  So … there you go. We’re all going to have to start watching UNTV.
Ambassador Craft will also arrive at USUN while the mission’s deputy and Acting Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen  is on his way out. The seasoned career diplomat has been nominated to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Egypt. His nomination is currently pending on the Executive Calendar awaiting Senate confirmation. His nomination was just confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 1st.
At US Mission Canada, we expect the embassy’s DCM Richard Mills, Jr. will now assume office as Chargé d’Affaires pending the nomination/confirmation of a new ambassador. Ambassador Mills previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia from 2015-2018.  He assumed his position as Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Ottawa in November 2018. He was also Chargé d’Affaires at U.S. Embassy Valetta, Malta from 2010-2012.
U.S. Mission Canada includes Embassy Ottawa and the following constituent posts and leadership below:

 

#

@StateDept Appoints Ambassador Atul Keshap as EAP’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary

July 31, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Appointments, EAP|East Asia, FSOs, State Department, Top Ranks Tags: , ,

Help Fund the Blog |  Countdown:  6 Days to Go

______________________________________

 

 

The principal officers of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs are listed here.

Via state.gov:

Ambassador Atul Keshap is a career senior Foreign Service Officer currently serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Across his 25 year career as an American diplomat, Ambassador Keshap has served at postings in India, Morocco, and Guinea, and as United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives.  He has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, as U.S. Senior Official for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and as an Office Director in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs and in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
Ambassador Keshap has negotiated or advanced bilateral and multilateral initiatives at senior levels with counterparts from the European Union, United Nations, Japan, United Kingdom, France, India, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Mexico, Russia, China, Indonesia, Egypt, Morocco, and several other countries in Africa, the Arab world, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Prior to his current assignment, Ambassador Keshap served at the Department of Defense as the National Defense University’s Vice Chancellor for the College of International Security Affairs.  Earlier in his career, he served as Director for North Africa and Middle East regional affairs on the National Security Council staff in the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
In 2018, Ambassador Keshap received one of the State Department’s highest honors, the Distinguished Honor Award, from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in recognition of his leadership in advancing U.S. interests in the Indian Ocean region.  He is also the recipient of numerous individual Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards.

#

 

Ops Center Director Robert S. Gilchrist to be U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania

July 29, 2019 By in Ambassadors, FSOs, Nominations, Officially In, Trump Tags: , , , , , ,

Help Fund the Blog | Diplopundit 2019 — 60-Day Campaign from June 5, 2019 – August 5, 2019

______________________________________

 

 

On July 22, the WH announced the president’s intent to nominate Robert S. Gilchrist, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Lithuania. The WH released the following brief bio:

Robert S. Gilchrist is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, and currently serves as the Director of the Operations Center of the Department of State.  Previously, Mr. Gilchrist was Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Sweden, Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Estonia, and the Director of Nordic and Baltic Affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.  Among his earlier assignments, Mr. Gilchrist was Deputy Political Counselor at the United States Embassy in Iraq, Chief of the Political Section of the United States Embassy in Romania, and a Special Assistant in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of State.  Mr. Gilchrist earned a B.A. from Wake Forest University, and an M.A. degree from the University of Virginia.  He speaks Spanish, French, Estonian, and Romanian.
If confirmed, Mr. Gilcrist would succeed Anne Hall who served as Ambassador to Vilnius from October 2016 to July 2019.  Lithuania is one of some 40 countries in the world where no political appointee has been appointed since the United States resumed diplomatic relations with Lithuania on September 2, 1991.
Some of the previous appointees to this position includes Ambassadors John F. Tefft (1949–), Stephen D. Mull (1958–) and Deborah Ann McCarthy (1955–).

#

 

 

U.S. Ambassador to Japan William F. Hagerty IV Resigns to Run For U.S. Senate

July 29, 2019 By in Ambassadors, chargé d’affaires, DCM, EAP|East Asia, Elections, Political Appointees, Politics, State Department, Trump, U.S. Senate Tags: , , , , ,

Help Fund the Blog | Diplopundit 2019 — 60-Day Campaign from June 5, 2019 – August 5, 2019

______________________________________

On July 16, the US Embassy in Tokyo issues a statement concerning the expected resignation of Ambassador William F. Hagerty IV:
U.S. Ambassador to Japan William F. Hagerty IV is in the process of resigning as Ambassador. He was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Japan on July 27, 2017 and will have served approximately two years.
Ambassador Hagerty is honored to have represented the President and the American people in his work to advance the U.S.-Japan Alliance, the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Pacific.
Upon Ambassador Hagerty’s departure, Joseph M. Young will assume duties as the U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires ad interim.
Ambassador Hagerty reportedly departed post on July 22, 2019.
According to Embassy Tokyo, CDA Young became Chargé d’Affaires ad interim on July 20, 2019. Below is his brief bio:
CDA Joseph M. Young began his tenure as Deputy Chief of Mission on August 17, 2017. Mr. Young, a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, previously served as Director for Japanese Affairs at the Department of State from August 2014. From 2012 to 2014, he was Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor for the U.S. Pacific Command. Mr. Young served as Political-Military Unit Chief at U.S. Embassy Tokyo from 2009 to 2012.
Mr. Young’s other assignments include: Political-Economic Section Chief, U.S. Embassy Dublin (2004-2007); Aviation Negotiations Officer in the State Department’s Economics Bureau (2002-2004); Economics Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Beijing (1999-2002); Economics Research at the Foreign Service Institute (1996-1997); Political Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Nairobi (1994-1996); and Consular Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Singapore (1991-1993).
Mr. Young holds a master’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in Classics from Borromeo College. He speaks Japanese and Chinese. Mr. Young is married and has three daughters.

#

U.S. Embassy Manila’s Amb. Sung Y. Kim to be the Next U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia

July 22, 2019 By in Ambassadors, FSOs, Nominations, Trump Tags: , , , ,

 

On July 10, the WH announced the president’s intent to nominate the current U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim to be the next ambassador to the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. The WH released the following brief bio:
Sung Y. Kim of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Indonesia.
Sung Y. Kim is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, and currently serves as Ambassador to the Philippines.  Ambassador Kim’s extensive history of public service at the Department of State, including as Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Special Envoy for the Six Party Talks, Director of the Office of Korean Affairs, Special Representative for North Korea Policy, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.  Earlier in his career, Ambassador Kim served as a Political Officer at the Embassies in Seoul, Republic of Korea, Tokyo, Japan, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Ambassador Kim earned his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, J.D. from Loyola University Law School, and Masters of Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.  Ambassador Kim received the Presidential Meritorious Honor Award in 2018, and he speaks Korean and Japanese.
If confirmed, Ambassador Kim would succeed Ambassador Robert Donovan, Jr. who was appointed to Jakarta on October 3, 2016 and has served as COM since  January 12, 2017.

Ambassador Sung Kim, US Embassy Manila (Via Twitter)

 

#