The Baltic nation of Lithuania will soon have a new ambassador from the U.S., as President Obama on September 13 nominated career diplomat Deborah Ann McCarthy to serve her first ambassadorship in Vilnius. If confirmed by the Senate, McCarthy would succeed Anne Derse, who has been ambassador since 2009.
McCarthy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics at the University of Virginia, and both an M.A. in Economics and an M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. She also has a Certificate in Airline Strategic Management from the International Air Transport Association. McCarthy worked as a loan officer at a bank before joining the State Department.
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, McCarthy served early career assignments as a financial economist at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy, and at the Department of Treasury, and also as desk officer for Guatemala. She served as economic counselor at the embassy in Port au Prince, Haiti, from 1991 to 1993, and at the embassy in Paris, France, from 1996 to 1998. She was deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Managua, Nicaragua, from 1998 to 2001, and consul general in Montréal, Canada, from 2001 to 2002.
Back in Washington, McCarthy served as deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement from 2002 to 2004, senior advisor for Counter Terrorism from 2004 to 2006, and special coordinator for Venezuelan Affairs from 2006 to 2008. She returned to Europe to serve as deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Athens, Greece, from 2008 to 2010. Since September 27, 2010, she has been principal deputy assistant secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, responsible for global economic engagement and negotiations.
McCarthy speaks French, Spanish, Greek, Italian and Haitian Creole.
- Matt Bewig
Deborah A. McCarthy: US is a Good Solid Area to Invest (by Lou Yi, China Daily)
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