Democratic activist Elizabeth Bagley was appointed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday as the new U.S. ambassador to Brazil. She still needs approval of the U.S. Senate to take over as head of mission.
Currently the owner of a telecommunications company in Arizona, Ms. Bagley specializes in international law and has a long history of collaboration with the Democratic Party. She is 69 years old and has served as ambassador to Portugal (1994-1997).
Although not a career diplomat, Ms. Bagley has held several important positions with the State Department. She was a senior advisor to secretaries Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. She also served as the U.S. government’s special representative to the UN General Assembly.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the White House announced Mr. Biden’s nominations for seven posts, including four embassies – in addition to Brazil, the names are for the United Kingdom, Denmark and Chad.
The American Embassy in Brasília has been vacant since July last year, when diplomat Todd Chapman left the country after just over a year in office. Appointed by former President Donald Trump, he came to be identified with the Republican president.
Mr. Chapman retired months after Biden took over and moved to Texas. The embassy is headed on an interim basis by the chargé d’affaires Douglas Koneff.
Source: Valor international