Thomas A. Shannon, Jr.
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Thomas Shannon | |
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Counselor of the United States Department of State | |
Assumed office December 24, 2013 |
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President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Heather Higginbottom |
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Acting |
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In office July 28, 2011 – September 21, 2011 |
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President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Bill Burns |
Succeeded by | Wendy Sherman |
United States Ambassador to Brazil | |
In office February 4, 2010 – September 6, 2013 |
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President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Clifford Sobel |
Succeeded by | Liliana Ayalde |
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs | |
In office October 17, 2005 – November 10, 2009 |
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President | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Roger Noriega |
Succeeded by | Arturo Valenzuela |
Personal details | |
Born | 1958 (age 65–66)[1] |
Alma mater | College of William and Mary University of Oxford |
Thomas Alfred Shannon, Jr. (born 1958)[1] is a Career Ambassador in the United States Foreign Service and the current Counselor to the Secretary of State John F. Kerry. The Counselor provides strategic guidance to the Secretary and works broadly across the Department to enhance its diplomacy and public outreach. Counselor Shannon is just the seventh Foreign Service Officer to hold the post, and the first in thirty two years. Prior to becoming Counselor, Shannon was the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil from 2009 to 2013. Previously he served as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, leading the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the U.S. Department of State from 2005 through 2009.[2] In September 2015, President Obama nominated Shannon as the new Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.[3][4]
Career
Shannon holds an M.Phil (1982) and D.Phil. (1982), both in politics, from Oxford University, and a B.A. with high honors in government and philosophy from the College of William & Mary (1980).[2]
During his career as a Foreign Service Officer he has served as Special Assistant to the Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Brasília, Brazil from 1989 to 1992; as Country Officer for Cameroon, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe from 1987 to 1989; and as the Consular/Political Rotational Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala from 1984 to 1986.[2]
Shannon served as Director for Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council from 1999 to 2000; as Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, from 1996 to 1999; and as Regional Labor Attaché at the U.S. Consulate General in Johannesburg, South Africa from 1992 to 1996.[2]
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Shannon served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council from 2003 to 2005. From 2002 to 2003, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the Department of State, where he was Director of Andean Affairs from 2001 to 2002. He was U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) from 2000 to 2001.[2]
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Diplomatic posts | ||
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Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Brazil 2010–2013 |
Succeeded by Liliana Ayalde |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by | Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs 2005–2009 |
Succeeded by Arturo Valenzuela |
Preceded by | Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Acting 2011 |
Succeeded by Wendy Sherman |
Preceded by | Counselor of the United States Department of State 2013–present |
Incumbent |
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