Tuvalu has no ambassador to the United States and has no embassy in the United States.  It does have a permanent mission to the United Nations.  The current representative is Afelee F. Pita, who was appointed in December 2006.  Born in 1958, Pita received a Bachelor of Arts in administration and accounting from the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, and a Master of Arts in public administration from the University of Canberra in Australia.  From 1987 to 1988 he was Assistant Secretary, then Secretary, for the Ministry of Commerce and Natural Resources.  From 1989 to 1992 he was Assistant Secretary for Commerce.  In 1993 Pita served as Acting Secretary for the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Public Corporations.  In 1994 he was appointed Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health, Sports, and Human Resources and  from 1994 to 1996 he was Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Labour and World Communications.  From 1996 to 1997 Pita went on leave to study, then from 1997 to 1999 he was Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.  He moved on to serve as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning from 1999 to 2001.  From 2001 to 2004 Pita worked for the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines.  In 2004 he was appointed Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Natural Resouces and Lands.