Ambassador of the United States to Kiribati | |
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Nominator | President of the United States |
Inaugural holder | William Bodde as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
Formation | September 26, 1980 |
Website | U.S. Embassy - Suva |
The United States ambassador to Kiribati is the official representative of the government of the United States to the government of Kiribati. The ambassador is concurrently the ambassador to Fiji, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu, while residing in Suva, Fiji.
U.S. diplomatic terms |
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Career FSO After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time. Political appointee A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends). Appointed The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as “commissioning”. It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate to remain in office. Presented credentials The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador’s arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador’s letter, but this occurs only rarely. Terminated mission Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador’s commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy. Chargé d'affaires The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country. Ad interim Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime". |
Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
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William Bodde – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 26, 1980 | January 20, 1981 | August 15, 1981 | |
Fred J. Eckert – Political appointee | February 11, 1982 | May 31, 1982 | May 7, 1984 | ||
Carl Edward Dillery – Career FSO | September 27, 1984 | January 29, 1985 | July 15, 1987 | ||
Leonard Rochwarger – Political appointee | September 28, 1987 | May 9, 1988 | August 31, 1989 | ||
Evelyn Irene Hoopes Teegan – Political appointee | October 10, 1989 | January 18, 1990 | March 5, 1993 | ||
Joan M. Plaisted – Career FSO | December 19, 1995 | April 9, 1996 | July 28, 2000 | ||
Michael James Senko – Career FSO | December 28, 2000 | April 10, 2001 | August 2, 2003 | ||
David L. Lyon – Career FSO | October 7, 2003 | November 18, 2003 | July 23, 2005 | ||
Larry Miles Dinger – Career FSO | June 27, 2005 | September 1, 2005 | July 5, 2008 | ||
C. Steven McGann – Career FSO | October 6, 2008 | November 24, 2008 | July 13, 2011 | ||
Frankie A. Reed – Career FSO | August 4, 2011 | April 30, 2012 | January 5, 2015 | ||
Judith Beth Cefkin – Career FSO | January 5, 2015 | February 23, 2015 | February 25, 2018 | ||
Michael B. Goldman – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | February 25, 2018 | - | November 25, 2019 | |
Joseph Cella | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Confirmed: September 17, 2019 | December 23, 2021 [1] | January 20, 2021 | |
Tony Greubel | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | January 20, 2021 | N/A | September 30, 2022 | |
Marie C. Damour | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 4, 2022 | TBD | Incumbent |
Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, their appointment must be confirmed by the United States Senate; while an ambassador may be appointed during a recess, they can serve only until the end of the next session of Congress, unless subsequently confirmed.
Oceania is, to the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China, a stage for continuous diplomatic competition. The PRC dictates that no state can have diplomatic relations with both the PRC and the ROC. As of 2019, ten states in Oceania have diplomatic relations with the PRC, and four have diplomatic relations with the ROC. These numbers fluctuate as Pacific Island nations re-evaluate their foreign policies, and occasionally shift diplomatic recognition between Beijing and Taipei. The issue of which "Chinese" government to recognize has become a central theme in the elections of numerous Pacific Island nations, and has led to several votes of no-confidence.
Fiji–United States relations are the bilateral relations between the Fiji and the United States. The relationship has improved significantly since Fiji's elections in September 2014, which restored a democratically elected government to Fiji for the first time since 2006. The United States had opposed Fiji's unelected government, which came to power through a military coup in December 2006.
Kiribati and the United States have diplomatic relations.
Tonga – United States relations are bilateral relations between Tonga and the United States.
Fiji and South Korea established official diplomatic relations in January 1971, Korea having recognised Fiji's accession to independence the previous year. There is a South Korean embassy in Suva and a Fijian embassy in Seoul. Fiji opened its embassy in Seoul in July 2012 to "foster trade and investment" and to "promote people-to-people exchanges".
Cuban-Pacific relations are diplomatic, economic, cultural and other relations between the Republic of Cuba and countries situated in Oceania. In the 2000s, Cuba has been strengthening its relations with Pacific nations, which have, for the most part, responded favourably to Cuban medical aid in particular. The first Cuba-Pacific Islands ministerial meeting was held in September 2008 in Havana, with government members from ten Pacific countries—Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia and Papua New Guinea—attending. The meeting was a consolidation rather than a starting point of Cuban-Pacific relations.
The High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Fiji is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in the Republic of Fiji.
Clarence Steven McGann is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu from 2008 to 2011. He was nominated by President George W. Bush, and assumed his duties at post in October 2008.
Frankie Annette Reed is an American diplomat. She is currently the United States Consul-General in Melbourne. From 2011-2015 she was the United States Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu. She has a BA in journalism from Howard University and a doctorate in law from the University of California, Berkeley.
Judith Beth Cefkin is an American diplomat and former ambassador to five nations in Oceania. She served concurrently as the ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu, while resident in Suva, Fiji.
India and Kiribati established diplomatic relations in 1985. The High Commission of India in Suva, Fiji is concurrently accredited to Kiribati. Kiribati maintains an Honorary Consulate in New Delhi.
Joseph James Cella is an American diplomat and political advisor, who served concurrently as the United States Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu from 2019 to 2021. A prominent Roman Catholic, Cella co-founded the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast and Catholic Vote.
Nauru-United States relations are the bilateral relations of Nauru and the United States