Appointments and Resignations
Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board: Who is Deborah Hersman?
A member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for five years, Deborah A. P. Hersman took over the leadership of the NTSB for two years on July 28, 2009, at the relatively young age of 39. However, she was quite experienced with reg... read more
Ambassador from Romania: Who is Adrian Vierita?
Adrian Cosmin Vierita arrived in the United States to serve as Romania’s Ambassador to the U.S. on December 23, 2007.Vierita was born in Bucharest on July 4, 1962. He graduated the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna program of post-academic studies in... read more
Ambassador to Paraguay: Who is Liliana Ayalde?
Liliana Ayalde has served as the United States Ambassador to Paraguay since August 5, 2008. Ayalde holds a bachelor’s degree from American University, and master’s degree in International Public Health from Tulane University. She is fluent in Sp... read more
Ambassador from Paraguay: Who is Rigoberto Gauto Vielman?
Rigoberto Gauto Vielman presented his credentials as Paraguay’s ambassador to the United States on February 24, 2010.
Gauto was born in Asunción, Paraguay in 1952. He graduated from Cristo Rey High School.
Between 1977 and 1990, he becam... read more
State Dept. Inspector General Position Vacant for More Than 3 Years
Lawmakers and government watchdogs have stepped up their calls for the White House to fill the State Department’s inspector general position which has been vacant since January 2008.
The Government Accountability Office and elected officials... read more
Ambassador from Israel: Who is Michael Oren?
In order to become Israel’s ambassador to the United States in May 2009, U.S.-born scholar Michael B. Oren had to relinquish his American citizenship, because the Jewish state does not allow dual citizens to represent it overseas.
When newly... read more
Ambassador from Kyrgyzstan: Who is Muktar Djumaliev?
Muktar Djumaliev became ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to the United States in December 2010.
Born on June 22, 1972, Djumaliev earned an undergraduate economics degree from the National University of the Kyrgyz Republic in 1994, and three years la... read more
Ambassador from Turkmenistan: Who is Meret Orazov?
A scientist and long-time government official, Meret Bayramovich Orazov has served as Turkmenistan’s ambassador to the United States since February 2001. He began his government involvement during the period when Turkmenistan was part of the Sov... read more
Ambassador from India: Who is Meera Shankar?
Meera Shankar has served as India’s ambassador to the United States since April 2009.
Born October 9, 1950, Shankar joined the Indian Foreign Service in July 1973.
She gradually rose up in rank, and by 1985, was serving as a director in ... read more
Ambassador from Brazil: Who is Mauro Vieira?
Mauro Vieira presented his credentials as Brazil’s ambassador to the United States in January 2010.
Vieira was born on February 15, 1952, in Niterói in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He earned a bachelor’s degree in law from the Universidade F... read more
Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission: Who is Steve Beshear?
A longtime Kentucky politician whose career began in the mid-1970s, Steven Lynn Beshear serves as co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for 2011, along with his duties as governor of his state. Created in 1965, the ARC is an econ... read more
Ambassador from Namibia: Who is Martin Andjaba?
Martin Andjaba became ambassador of Namibia to the United States in September 2010.
Born on December 17, 1957, in Ontokolo, Northern Namibia, Andjaba obtained in 1981 a Diploma in Public Administration and Management at the United Nations In... read more
Ambassador from Switzerland: Who is Manuel Sager?
Manuel Sager, the ambassador of Switzerland since December 2010, is no stranger to the United States, having attended graduate school in North Carolina, worked as a lawyer in Arizona and held diplomatic posts in New York and Washington, DC.
... read more
Ambassador from Panama: Who is Mario Jaramillo?
Mario E. Jaramillo has served as ambassador of Panama to the United States since February 2011.
Jaramillo attended college at Louisiana State University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in business management with emphasis in market... read more
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): Who is David Petraeus?
Once upon a time, the way the United States worked was that the CIA spied and gathered intelligence and the military fought wars. This division of responsibilities now appears to be old-fashioned, as demonstrated by President Barack Obama’s reshuf... read more
Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: Who Is Jane Harman?
Jane Harman announced on February 7, 2011, that she was resigning as a U.S. congresswoman to become head of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a Washington, D.C. think tank devoted to the ideals of former U.S. President Woodro... read more