Daniel V. Speckhard

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Daniel V. Speckhard (b. 1959) is a United States diplomat who is currently the United States Ambassador to Greece.

Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Early career 3 Career as a diplomat 4 References

[edit] Early life and education

Born in Clintonville, Wisconsin, Speckhard received a Bachelors Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Administration and a Masters Degree in Economics.^[1]

[edit] Early career

Prior to joining the State Department in 1990, Speckhard worked for the International Affairs Division of the Office of Management and Budget, the Agency for International Development, a staff member in the U.S. Senate, and in state and local government.

[edit] Career as a diplomat

From 1990 to 1993, Ambassador Speckhard served as an advisor and then Director of Policy and Resources for the Deputy Secretary of State, coordinating and overseeing foreign aid funding in support of U.S. policy objectives. He received special recognition for his role in reorienting these programs to meet the new challenges of the post-Cold War era.^[2]

Speckhard served from 1993 to 1997 as Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large for the New Independent States at the State Department in Washington. He was responsible for a broad range of political, security and economic issues facing large parts of the former Soviet Union.

As U.S. Ambassador to Belarus from 1997 to 2000, Speckhard worked closely with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union in promoting democratic reform, human rights, and institutional development.

From 2003 to 2005, Ambassador Speckhard served at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as Director of Policy Planning responsible for advising and assisting the Secretary General of NATO, senior NATO management, and the North Atlantic Council in addressing strategic issues facing the alliance. From 2000 to 2003, he was NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, covering political relations with the countries of Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and the Mediterranean. During this period, Ambassador Speckhard received the NATO Service Medal for his crisis management work. ^[2]

His last posting was as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq following a year as Director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office there.

Speckhard was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Greece on November 7, 2007 and arrived in Athens on November 15, 2007.^[2]

[edit] References

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Michael G. Kozak	United States Ambassador to Belarus 1997 – 2000	Succeeded by Kenneth S. Yalowitz
Preceded by Charles P. Ries	United States Ambassador to Greece 2007 – Present	Succeeded by Incumbent