Having served at embassies throughout Africa, Donald G. Teitelbaum finally was given his first ambassadorship by President George W. Bush, who nominated the career diplomat in 2008 to lead the U.S. mission in Ghana. His term began on July 16, 2008.

 

The son of Robert and Fumie Teitelbaum, Don Teitelbaum was born at Travis Air Force Base in California on October 7, 1963. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in foreign affairs, Teitelbaum joined the Foreign Service in October 1985.

 

His early postings took him to the American embassies in the Dominican Republic and Guyana While based in Kenya, he became involved in Somalia when U.S. troops became involved in the civil war there in 1992. He was the political and economic officer in Lebanon in the late 1990s  Based back in Nairobi, Kenya in 1999, he served as chargé d'affaires for Sudan. In April 2000, Teitelbaum arrived in Khartoum to reopen the U.S. embassy four years after the U.S. left Sudan to protest the government’s support of terrorism. In September 2000, Teitelbaum was re-posted to Uganda as deputy chief of mission.

 

After three years in Uganda, Teitelbaum returned to Washington DC as director of African affairs for Central and Southern Africa at the National Security Council.

 

In 2005, he moved to the American embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, serving as deputy chief of mission until the departure of Ambassador Jendayi Frazer in August 2005. He then became chargé d’affaires until the arrival of Ambassador Eric Bost in July 2006. He then resumed his duties as deputy chief of mission. 

 

Teitelbaum’s foreign language skills include Arabic and Spanish. He is married to Julianna Lindsey, who has worked with refugees and children in Sudan and elsewhere for the International Rescue Committee and UNICEF.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Official Biography (State Department)