Appointments and Resignations

Guatemala’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Julio Ligorría?

Ligorría also had many corporations as clients. He represented Enron when that company was trying to take over the electric utility for the city of Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala. Enron won the contract. Ligorría has also worked for Coca-Cola, Universal and JPMorgan. In addition to his consultancies, Ligorría is partner in a company, MAN B&W, selling German industrial engines to companies throughout Latin America. read more

Burma’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Kyaw Myo Htut?

Kyaw was named ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2011. While in that post, he played a role in getting most European Union sanctions against Burma for its human rights violations lifted. As ambassador to the United States, a big part of Kyaw’s job is to push for more U.S. investment in his country despite continuing human rights problems. read more

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq: Who Is Stuart Jones?

In light of the sectarian violence in Iraq, Jones said during his June 11 confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that his first priority as ambassador in Baghdad will be to protect the U.S. embassy and its employees. read more

Tanzania’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Liberata Mulamula?

In 2006, Mulamula was named first executive secretary of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region in Burundi. Mulamula served with that organization until 2011. Mulamula was named senior personal assistant to Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete in 2012, a position she held until coming to Washington. read more

Romania’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Iulian Buga?

In 2007, foreign ministry nominated him to be the ambassador to the United States. However Romanian President Traian Băsescu vetoed the move, and Buga returned to Bucharest to serve as state secretary in the foreign ministry. In 2009, Buga was sent to Ireland to serve as his country’s ambassador in Dublin. He stayed there until his assignment to Washington. read more

Thailand’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Vijavat Isarabhakdi?

He went on to attend Tufts University in Boston, earning an M.A. in law and diplomacy and a Ph.D. in international relations in 1989 from that university’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1989. His dissertation was “The Man In Khaki—Debaser Or Developer?: The Thai Military In Politics, With Particular Reference To The 1976-1986 Period.” Isarabhakdi joined Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990, read more

Sweden’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Björn Lyrvall?

Lyrvall went to the European Union in Brussels in 2002, first as Sweden’s delegate to the enlargement negotiations, and then in 2003 as Sweden’s ambassador to the EU Political and Security Committee, remaining in that post until 2007. He returned to Stockholm to serve as director general for political affairs in the foreign ministry. He remained in that post until being sent to Washington. read more

Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Who Is Sloan Gibson?

Gibson’s career in some ways closely tracks that of another Obama administration official. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel served in the Army as a young man, was deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration for a time during the Reagan administration, and later, while working in private industry, was president and CEO of the USO. read more

Was Removal of Border Patrol Abuse Investigator just a Cover-Up for a Failed System?

At least 28 people have been killed by CBP personnel since 2010, and an internal review of the agency’s shooting policy was kept under wraps for more than a year before coming to light. In light of these troubles, CBP’s head of internal affairs for the past eight years, James F. Tomsheck, was moved to another assignment this week. Tomsheck’s supporters say he was made a scapegoat for a system that wasn’t interested in righting its wrongs. read more

Slovenia’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Božo Cerar?

In 2007, Cerar became Slovenia’s representative to NATO. He returned to Ljubljana to serve again as state secretary in the foreign ministry in 2012. Since coming to Washington, Cerar has been active in the Slovenian-American community, including a stint as a judge of a polka contest at the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame. read more

Tonga’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Mahe Tupouniua?

In 2009, he was made ambassador to China for two years. Tupouniua then returned home as secretary for Foreign Affairs and subsequently as secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In 2013, Tupouniua went to New York to assume his posts at the UN and as ambassador to the United States. read more

Grenada’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Angus Friday?

While at the UN, Friday was a strong advocate for remediation of the effects of global climate change for Grenada and other island nations. In 2009, Friday went to the World Bank, where he was a specialist in international climate policy. Given his experience working on climate change, it’s perhaps not surprising that Friday is one of the few diplomats who rides his bicycle to work in Washington. read more

Equatorial Guinea’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Ruben Maye Nsue Mangue?

Ruben Maye Nsue Mangue presented his credentials as Equatorial Guinea’s ambassador to the United States to President Barack Obama on September 17, 2013. Equatorial Guinea has a reputation as having one of the world’s worst human rights record, one which Nsue has spent much of his career defending. read more

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Who Is Julián Castro?

In 2009, Julián ran again for mayor, and this time he won. At 35, he was the youngest mayor of a Top-50 U.S. city. He focused on education during his tenure, establishing a program to give college guidance to San Antonio high school students and championing a sales-tax increase to fund a pre-kindergarten school program. Castro also helped push through an ordinance banning discrimination against members of the LGBT community. He was re-elected twice, in 2011 and 2013, by huge margins. read more

Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Anne Anderson?

Anderson moved to New York as the Irish ambassador to the United Nations, serving until taking the Washington post. Anderson is a frequent lecturer at U.S. universities. Since becoming ambassador to the United States, Anderson has pushed for immigration reform. There are as many as 50,000 undocumented Irish in the U.S. read more

Former Head of Insular Affairs Accused of Sexual Improprieties and Giving Grants to Friends

Other findings were that Babauta pressured an employee to allow him to live rent-free in a cottage on the employee’s property, that he had an underling prepare a PowerPoint presentation for his daughter’s homework and that he had an employee pick up his girlfriend at the airport. OIA employees also told investigators that Babouta felt uncomfortable with older staffers, asking them when they would quit, and, upon his arrival, asking an employee, “how do I get rid of the old people?” read more