Ambassadors serve as the highest-ranking representatives to other countries or international organizations. The duties of an ambassador can include speaking on U.S. policy, advising the U.S. government on foreign policy, and coordinating American personnel within their jurisdiction.[1][2]
The presidential authority to make these appointments arises from Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which states in the part that "he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for."[3]
This page provides an overview of U.S. ambassadors appointed by President Joe Biden (D).
As of August 2, 2024, Biden had appointed 217 ambassadors, according to the American Foreign Service Association.[4][5]
The following table provides a list of ambassadorial appointments in alphabetical order by country, according to the American Foreign Service Association. It also provides the type of appointment. Political appointments are not active career diplomats, while career appointments come from the United States Foreign Service. This section was last updated on August 2, 2024.[4]
U.S. ambassadors appointed by President Joe Biden (D) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Country | Ambassador | Appointment type | |
African Union | Stephanie Sanders Sullivan | Career | |
Albania | David J. Kostelancik | Career | |
Algeria | Elizabeth Aubin | Career | |
Algeria | Joshua M. Harris | Career | |
Angola and São Tomé & Principe | Tulinabo Mushingi | Career | |
Angola and São Tomé & Principe | Abigail L. Dressel | Career | |
APEC | Matthew D. Murray | Career | |
Argentina | Marc Stanley | Other (Political) | |
Armenia | Kristina A. Kvien | Career | |
ASEAN | Yohannes Abraham | Other (Political) | |
Australia | Caroline Kennedy | Other (Political) | |
Austria | Victoria Reggie Kennedy | Other (Political) | |
Azerbaijan | Mark W. Libby | Career | |
Bahamas | Calvin Smyre | Other (Political) | |
Bahrain | Steven Bondy | Career | |
Bangladesh | Peter D. Haas | Career | |
Bangladesh | David Slayton Meale | Career | |
Barbados (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) | Roger Nyhus | Other (Political) | |
Belgium | Michael Adler | Other (Political) | |
Belize | Michelle Kwan | Other (Political) | |
Benin | Brian Wesley Shukan | Career | |
Benin | Kali C. Jones | Career | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Michael J. Murphy | Career | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Douglas D. Jones | Career | |
Botswana | Howard A. Van Vranken | Career | |
Brazil | Elizabeth Frawley Bagley | Other (Political) | |
Brunei Darussalam | Caryn McClelland | Career | |
Brunei Darussalam | Angela Kerwin | Career | |
Bulgaria | Kenneth Merten | Career | |
Burkina Faso | Joann M. Lockard | Career | |
Burundi | Lisa Peterson | Career | |
Cabo Verde | Jennifer M. Adams | Career | |
Cambodia | Robert W. Forden | Career | |
Cameroon | Christopher Lamora | Career | |
Canada | David Cohen | Other (Political) | |
Central African Republic | Patricia Mahoney | Career | |
Central African Republic | Christopher J. Lamora | Career | |
Chad | Alexander Mark Laskaris | Career | |
Chile | Bernadette Meehan | Other (Former FS) | |
China | R. Nicholas Burns | Other (Retired FS) | |
Colombia | None [6] | N/A | |
Congo (DR) | Lucy Tamlyn | Career | |
Congo (Republic of) | Eugene S. Young | Career | |
Costa Rica | Cynthia Ann Telles | Other (Political) | |
Côte d'Ivoire | Jessica Davis Ba | Career | |
Croatia | Nathalie Reyes | Other | |
Cyprus | Julie D. Fisher | Career | |
Czech Republic | Bijan Sabet | Other (Political) | |
Denmark | Alan Leventhal | Other (Political) | |
Djibouti | Cynthia Kierscht | Career | |
Dominican Republic | Juan Iturregui | Other (Political) | |
Ecuador | Arthur W. Brown | Career | |
Egypt | Herro Mustafa Garg | Career | |
El Salvador | William H. Duncan | Career | |
Equatorial Guinea | David R. Gilmour | Career | |
Equatorial Guinea | Amanda S. Jacobsen | Career | |
Estonia | George P. Kent | Career | |
Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) | John W. McIntyre | Career | |
Ethiopia | Ervin Joseph Massinga | Career | |
European Union | Mark Gitenstein | Other (Political) | |
Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, & Tuvalu | Marie C. Damour | Career | |
Finland | Douglas T. Hickey | Other (Political) | |
France & Monaco | Denise Bauer | Other (Political) | |
Gabon | Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick | Career | |
The Gambia | Sharon Cromer | Career | |
The Gambia | Stephanie M. Miley | Career | |
Georgia | Robin Dunnigan | Career | |
Germany | Amy Gutmann | Other (Political) | |
Ghana | Virginia Palmer | Career | |
Greece | George Tsunis | Other (Political) | |
Guatemala | Tobin John Bradley | Career | |
Guinea | Troy Fitrell | Career | |
Guinea | Melanie Anne Zimmerman | Career | |
Guyana | Nicole D. Theriot | Career | |
Haiti | Dennis B. Hankins | Career | |
Holy See | Joe Donnelly | Other (Political) | |
Honduras | Laura Farnsworth Dogu | Career | |
Hungary | David Pressman | Other (Political) | |
ICAO | C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger | Other (Political) | |
ICAO | Charlie Crist | Other (Political) | |
Iceland | Carrin F. Patman | Other (Political) | |
India | Eric Garcetti | Other (Political) | |
Indonesia | Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir | Career | |
Iraq | Alina Romanowski | Other (Civil Service) | |
Iraq | Tracey Ann Jacobson | Career | |
Ireland | Claire Cronin | Other (Political) | |
Israel | Thomas Nides | Other (Political) | |
Israel | Jacob J. Lew | Other (Political) | |
Italy & San Marino | Jack Markell | Other | |
Jamaica | N. Nickolas Perry | Other (Political) | |
Japan | Rahm Emanuel | Other (Political) | |
Jordan | Yael Lempert | Career | |
Kazakhstan | Daniel Rosenblum | Other (Civil Service) | |
Kenya | Meg Whitman | Other (Political) | |
Kosovo | Jeffrey Hovenier | Career | |
Kuwait | Karen Sasahara | Career | |
Kyrgyz Republic | Lesslie Viguerie | Career | |
Laos | Heather Roach Variava | Career | |
Latvia | Christopher T. Robinson | Career | |
Lebanon | Lisa A. Johnson | Career | |
Lesotho | Maria Brewer | Career | |
Lesotho | Jeremey Neitzke | Career | |
Liberia | Mark Toner | Career | |
Libya | Jennifer D. Gavito | Career | |
Lithuania | Kara C. McDonald | Career | |
Luxembourg | Thomas Barrett | Other (Political) | |
Madagascar & Comoros | Claire Pierangelo | Career | |
Malawi | David John Young | Career | |
Malawi | Michael G. Heath | Career | |
Malaysia | Edgard D. Kagan | Career | |
Maldives | Hugo Yue-Ho Yon | Career | |
Mali | Rachna Sachdeva Korhonen | Career | |
Malta | Constance Milstein | Other (Political) | |
Marshall Islands | Laura Stone | Career | |
Mauritania | Christophe Andre Tocco | Career | |
Mauritius & Seychelles | Henry Jardine | Career | |
Mexico | Kenneth Salazar | Other (Political) | |
Micronesia | Jennifer L. Johnson | Career | |
Moldova | Kent Doyle Logsdon | Career | |
Moldova | Kelly Adams-Smith | Career | |
Mongolia | Richard Lee Buangan | Career | |
Montenegro | B. Bix Aliu | Career | |
Morocco | Puneet Talwar | Other (Political) | |
Mozambique | Peter Hendrick Vrooman | Career | |
Mozambique | James Story | Career | |
Namibia | Randy W. Berry | Career | |
NATO | Julianne Smith | Other (Political) | |
Nepal | Dean R. Thompson | Career | |
Netherlands | Shefali Razdan Duggal | Other (Political) | |
New Zealand & Samoa | Tom Udall | Other (Political) | |
Nicaragua | Hugo F. Rodriguez, Jr. | Career | |
Niger | Kathleen FitzGibbon | Career | |
Nigeria | Richard Mills, Jr. | Career | |
North Macedonia | Angela Price Aggeler | Career | |
Norway | Marc Nathanson | Other (Political) | |
OAS | Francisco O. Mora | Other (Political) | |
OECD | Jack Markell | Other (Political) | |
OECD | Sean Patrick Maloney | Other (Political) | |
Oman | Ana Escrogima | Career | |
OPCW | Nicole Shampaine | Career | |
OSCE | Michael Carpenter | Other (Former FS) | |
OSCE | Curtis Raymond Ried | Career | |
Pakistan | Donald Armin Blome | Career | |
Palau | Joel Ehrendreich | Career | |
Panama | Mari Carmen Aponte | Other (Political) | |
Papua New Guinea & Vanuatu | Ann Marie Yastishock | Career | |
Paraguay | Marc Ostfield | Other (Civil Service) | |
Peru | Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath | Career | |
Philippines | MaryKay Loss Carlson | Career | |
Poland | Mark Brzezinski | Other (Political) | |
Portugal | Randi Charno Levine | Other (Political) | |
Qatar | Timmy T. Davis | Career | |
Romania | Kathleen Ann Kavalec | Career | |
Russia | Lynne Tracy | Career | |
Rwanda | Eric W. Kneedler | Career | |
Samoa | James Holtsnider | Career | |
Saudi Arabia | Michael A. Ratney | Career | |
Senegal & Guinea-Bissau | Michael Raynor | Career | |
Senegal & Guinea-Bissau | Peter W. Lord | Career | |
Serbia | Christopher R. Hill | Other (Retired FS) | |
Seychelles | Troy Fitrell | Career | |
Sierra Leone | Bryan David Hunt | Career | |
Singapore | Jonathan Eric Kaplan | Other (Political) | |
Slovakia | Gautam Rana | Career | |
Slovenia | Jamie L. Harpootlian | Other (Political) | |
Solomon Islands | Keith D. Hanigan | Career | |
Somalia | Larry Andre | Career | |
Somalia | Richard H. Riley, IV | Career | |
South Africa | Reuben E. Brigety, II | Other (Political) | |
South Korea | Philip S. Goldberg | Career | |
South Sudan | Michael Adler | Career | |
Spain & Andorra | Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon | Other (Political) | |
Sri Lanka | Julie Chung | Career | |
Sri Lanka | Elizabeth K. Horst | Career | |
Sudan | John Godfrey | Career | |
Suriname | Robert Faucher | Career | |
Sweden | Erik Ramanathan | Other (Political) | |
Switzerland & Liechtenstein | Scott Miller | Other (Political) | |
Tajikistan | Manuel P. Micaller, Jr. | Career | |
Tanzania | Michael Battle | Other (Political) | |
Thailand | Robert Godec | Career | |
Timor-Leste | Donna Ann Welton | Career | |
Togo | Elizabeth Anne Noseworthy Fitzsimmons | Career | |
Togo | Mary E. Daschbach | Career | |
Trinidad and Tobago | Candace A. Bond | Other (Political) | |
Tunisia | Joey R. Hood | Career | |
Turkey | Jeff Flake | Other (Political) | |
Turkmenistan | Elizabeth Rood | Career | |
Uganda | William W. Popp | Career | |
Ukraine | Bridget A. Brink | Career | |
United Arab Emirates | Martina Strong | Career | |
United Kingdom | Jane Hartley | Other (Political) | |
United Nations | Linda Thomas-Greenfied | Other (Recalled FS) | |
United Nations / Conf. on Disarmament | Bruce I. Turner | Career | |
United Nations / Deputy Representative | Dorothy C. Shea | Career | |
United Nations / Economic & Social Council | Lisa A. Carty | Other (Retired FS) | |
United Nations / Geneva | Bathsheba Nell Crocker | Other (Political) | |
United Nations / Human Rights Council | Michèle Taylor | Other (Political) | |
United Nations / Management & Reform | Christopher Lu | Other (Political) | |
United Nations / Political Affairs | Robert A. Wood | Career | |
United Nations / Rome | Cindy Hensley McCain | Other (Political) | |
United Nations / Rome | Jeffrey Prescott | Other (Political) | |
United Nations / Vienna (IAEA) | Laura S.H. Holgate | Other (Political) | |
UNESCO | Courtney Diesel O'Donnell | Other (Political) | |
Uruguay | Heide B. Fulton | Career | |
Uzbekistan | Jonathan Henick | Career | |
Vietnam | Marc Knapper | Career | |
Vietnam | Kin Moy | Career | |
Yemen | Steven H. Fagin | Career | |
Zambia | Michael C. Gonzales | Career | |
Zimbabwe | Pamela Tremont | Career |
The following chart compares the percentage of political and career appointments in presidential administrations from 1974 to 2021. Political appointments are not active career diplomats, while career appointments come from the United States Foreign Service.
During this time period, President Donald Trump (R) had more political appointments than previous administrations at 43.5%. President Jimmy Carter (D) had the lowest percentage at 26.2%.
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