Isiah Parnell took over as U.S. chargé d’affaires in Jamaica in August 2009. Born in High Springs, Florida, Parnell was an “army brat” who attended high school in Germany. He earned B.A.  (1978) and M.A. (1980) degrees from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in Government and Economics; and an M.A. degree in Urban Planning/Economics from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He served in the Army 1981-1984, after which he joined the Department of State. His eight Foreign Service postings brought him to Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Ghana. Between 2006 and 2008, Parnell was he Minister Counselor of Management Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.