Lesslie Viguerie

Lesslie Viguerie
United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 29, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byDonald Lu
Personal details
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)
Catholic University (JD)

Lesslie Clay Viguerie[1] is an American attorney and career diplomat who serves as the United States ambassador to Kyrgyzstan since December 2022.

Education

Viguerie earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and affairs from George Washington University in 1982 and a Juris Doctor from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America.[2]

Career

Viguerie is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, with the rank of minister-counselor. He serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Asian and Pakistan affairs in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Previously, he was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and served as minister-counselor for political affairs at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. Viguerie was also director for Europe and Asia in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and Director for Central Asia in the Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs. Previous overseas assignments include Deputy Political Counselor for the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, Senior Director of the Interagency Rule of Law Section for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, and external political relations chief for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Viguerie has also served in the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.[3][4]

Viguerie is an expert on Central Asia and an advocate for effective policy.[4] He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.[2]

United States ambassador to Kyrgyzstan

On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Viguerie to serve as the United States ambassador to Kyrgyzstan.[2] Hearings on his nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 27, 2022. The committee favorably reported his nomination on August 3, 2022.[5] He was confirmed by the whole United States Senate on September 29, 2022 via voice vote.[6] He presented his credentials to President Sadyr Japarov on December 29, 2022.[7]

Awards and recognitions

Viguerie has received numerous State Department performance awards, including a Senior Foreign Service Performance award.[2]

Personal life

Viguerie is a native of Virginia and has three children, one adopted from Kazakhstan. He speaks Russian, Hindi, and Portuguese.[2]

References

  1. ^ "PN1301 — Foreign Service — 102nd Congress (1991-1992)". U.S. Congress. 1992-08-07. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  2. ^ a b c d e "President Biden Announces Key Nominees". The White House. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Lesslie C. Viguerie". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  4. ^ a b "Experts Urge US to Update Its Central Asia Strategy". VOA. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  5. ^ "PN1817 — Lesslie Viguerie — Department of State 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  6. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (2022-09-30). "Senate confirms US ambassadors to four countries". The Hill. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  7. ^ U.S. Embassy Bishkek [@USEmbassyKG] (December 30, 2022). "Ambassador Viguerie presented his credentials to President Japarov on December 29, 2022, officially taking up the post of U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-01-02 – via Twitter.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan
2022–present 		Incumbent