Kenneth Merten | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Bulgaria | |
Assumed office April 7, 2023 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Preceded by | Herro Mustafa |
Special Coordinator for Haiti | |
In office August 17,2015 –January 2017 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Thomas C. Adams |
United States Ambassador to Croatia | |
In office October 30,2012 –July 18,2015 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | James Foley |
Succeeded by | Julieta Valls Noyes |
United States Ambassador to Haiti | |
In office August 25,2009 –July 20,2012 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Janet Sanderson |
Succeeded by | Pamela White |
Personal details | |
Born | 1961 (age 62–63) St. Louis,Missouri,U.S. |
Spouse | Susan Merten |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Miami University (BA) |
Kenneth H. Merten (born 1961) is an American diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Bulgaria since April 2023. Merten has served in various positions in the Department of State beginning in 1987,most notably as ambassador to Haiti from 2009 to 2012,ambassador to Croatia from 2012 to 2015,and special coordinator for Haiti from 2015 to 2017.
Merten was born in St. Louis,Missouri,but moved to Hudson,Ohio when he was twelve,and considers Hudson his home. [1]
He attended Hudson Junior High School and the Walsh Jesuit High School and credits a history teacher named Mark Massa with being influential in his choice of career. [1] Merten graduated from Walsh Jesuit in 1979,and went to Miami University,where he graduated from in 1983 with a BA in diplomacy and foreign affairs. [1] He has also studied at Aix-Marseille University,the University of Graz and the American University. [1] [2]
Merten joined the United States Foreign Service in 1987. [3] He holds the rank of Career Minister. Since then,he has served both at Department of State facilities in Washington,DC and international assignments. [3] Prior to his appointment as ambassador to Haiti,his international experience consisted of assignments in Paris,Brussels and Bonn. [3] He also served in Haiti as vice consul and economic counselor between 1988 and 1990 and between 1998 and 2000 respectively. [1] In 2009,he was appointed to the position of ambassador to Haiti,and began his duties as such on 24 August 2009. [1] [3] In 2012,he was appointed to the position of ambassador to Croatia and began his duties as such on 30 October 2012. [4]
As Haiti Special Coordinator during the 2015-2016 Haitian presidential election Merten traveled to Haiti and spoke about an upcoming verification commission report on fraud in the election,saying "We hope it is very,very quick and does not change the results of the election" in April 2016. [5] [6] He was joined by other U.S. officials pushing for quickly accepted elections. He left the post in January 2017 during the presidential transition of Donald Trump. [7]
From 2017 to 2019,Merten served as the acting principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. [7] From 2019 to 2022,he served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of the Director General of the Foreign Service; [7] during 2021,he also served as the senior bureau official for the Bureau of Global Talent Management. [8]
On June 8,2022,President Joe Biden nominated Merten to serve as the United States ambassador to Bulgaria. [9] On November 29,2022,hearings on his nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. On December 7,2022,the committee favorably reported the nomination to the Senate. On December 13,2022,his nomination was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote. [10] He was sworn in by Acting Deputy Secretary John R. Bass on February 3,2023, [11] and presented his credentials to President Rumen Radev on April 7,2023. [12]
In July 2012,President Michel Martelly of Haiti awarded Merten with the National Order of Honour and Merit to the rank of Grand Cross for his diplomatic excellence and all his works done for Haiti. [13] [14]
Merten is married to Susan Greenman Merten,with whom he has had two daughters,Caryl and Elisabeth. [1] He speaks Haitian Creole,French,German and Spanish. [9]
Michele Jeanne Sison is an American diplomat and career member of the Senior Foreign Service serving as the assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs. She has previously served in various other diplomatic posts around the world on behalf of the United States,including ambassador to Haiti. Sison holds the personal rank of career ambassador.
Denise Campbell Bauer is an American diplomat serving as the United States ambassador to France and Monaco. Bauer served as Ambassador of the United States to Belgium from 2013 to 2017. After being nominated by President Barack Obama,she was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on August 2,2013;she was sworn in the following August 7. She left office on January 20,2017. A member of the Democratic Party,she was the executive director of Women for Biden.
Kenneth R. Weinstein is the Walter P. Stern Distinguished Fellow at Hudson Institute,a conservative Washington-based think tank. From 2005,he served as Hudson's CEO,and from April 2011 until January 2021 was Hudson's President and CEO. Weinstein is an expert on U.S. foreign policy and international affairs and has commented on national and international affairs on television and in numerous publications,including The Wall Street Journal,The Weekly Standard,Yomiuri Shimbun and Le Monde. Weinstein is the founding chair and CEO of the Indo-Pacific Forum,which he co-founded with Shinzo Abe in 2022.
Roderick Wemple Moore is the former Raymond Spruance Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport,RI,from 2013 to 2015. During the latter part of 2015,he served as the Chargéd'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Sofia,Bulgaria. From 2010 to 2013,he was the Principal Deputy High Representative and Brcko District Supervisor at the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Sarajevo,Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prior to beginning his assignment at OHR,Moore served for three years (2007–2010) as the first American Ambassador to Montenegro. He was nominated for that posting by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 29,2007. Senator Barack Obama chaired the Senate confirmation hearing in June 2007 at which Ambassador-designate Moore testified. Then Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs,R. Nicholas Burns,swore him in on September 12,2007,in the Treaty Room of the State Department. He arrived in Montenegro and presented his credentials to Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovićon September 18,2007. He left post in August 2010.
The foreign relations of Bulgaria are overseen by the Ministry of Foreign Relations headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Situated in Southeast Europe,Bulgaria is a member of both NATO and the European Union. It maintains diplomatic relations with 183 countries.
Herro Kader Mustafa Garg is a Kurdish-American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Egypt since November 2023. She served as the United States ambassador to Bulgaria from October 2019 to March 2023.
The National Order of Honour and Merit is the highest honour of merit awarded by the President of the Republic of Haiti. The Order was instituted on 28 May 1926 and is awarded in five grades to both Haitians and foreign nationals. The award is given to acknowledge distinction in not only the realms of diplomacy and politics but also the arts,charitable works and other fields of benefit or interest to Haiti.
Jeffrey D. Levine was nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama to be the United States Ambassador to Estonia on February 17,2012 and was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 29,2012. He presented his credentials to President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves on September 17,2012. He left his post in 2015.
Noah Bryson Mamet is an American diplomat and businessman who served as the United States Ambassador to Argentina under U.S. President Barack Obama,serving from 2015 to 2017.
Richard Merrill Mills Jr. is an American diplomat serving as the United States ambassador to Nigeria since July 2024. He served as the United States deputy ambassador to the United Nations from 2020 to 2024 and,in that capacity,served as the U.S. Chargéd'Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations between January 20,2021,and February 24,2021,when Linda Thomas-Greenfield became ambassador. He previously served as the U.S. Chargéd'Affaires for Canada.
Dennis Bruce Hankins is an American diplomat who is serving as American Ambassador to Haiti. He previously served as the United States Ambassador to Mali between 2019 and 2022 and the United States Ambassador to Guinea between 2015 and 2019.
Kent Doyle Logsdon is an American diplomat who had served as the U.S. ambassador to Moldova. He previously served as the U.S. chargéd'affaires for Germany.
Eric William Stromayer is an American diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to Togo from 2019 until 2022 and he had served the Chargéd'Affaires ad interim to Haiti.
Michael John Murphy is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina since February 2022.
William Huie Duncan is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to El Salvador since February 2023.
Tihomir Stoytchev is a Bulgarian diplomat,who has served as Bulgaria's Ambassador to the United States. He is currently serving as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Martina Anna Tkadlec Strong is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to the United Arab Emirates since October 4,2023. She previously served as the de facto United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia from January 20,2021 until April 16,2023.
Media related to Kenneth H. Merten at Wikimedia Commons