Philip T. Reeker
Philip T. Reeker | |
|---|---|
Gillian Milovanovic | |
| Succeeded by | Paul D. Wohlers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 19, 1965 Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA) |
Philip Thomas Reeker (born January 19, 1965) is an American
Reeker was the civilian deputy and policy advisor (POLAD) to the commander of
Early life, education, and family
Born in Pennsylvania, Reeker grew up in multiple parts of the United States as well as in Australia. He received a BA from Yale University in 1986, and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management (now part of Arizona State University in Phoenix) in 1991. He is married to Solveig Johnson Reeker, who also is a member of the Foreign Service.
Career
A career foreign service officer, Reeker served as Assistant Information Officer in Budapest, Hungary from 1993 to 1996 and as the Public Affairs Officer in
Reeker was nominated by President George W. Bush to become U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia. He was confirmed by the Senate at served in this role from 2008 to 2011. Thereafter Reeker served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs focused on the Balkans, Central Europe, and Holocaust Issues from 2011 until 2013. On September 5, 2014 he became the U.S. Consul General in Milan, Italy.[4] In November 2017 Reeker assumed responsibilities as the USEUCOM Civilian Deputy and POLAD.
He became acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs in March 2019, where he oversaw a portfolio of 50 countries.[5] In that role he quickly became concerned about the Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who appeared to be the subject of an unfounded smear campaign. In an email to Ulrich Brechbuhl, the State Department counselor and confidant of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Reeker described the smear as a "fake narrative" that was "really ... without merit or validation" and on other occasions forwarded to Brechbuhl information State Department officials gathered to counter the allegations. President Donald Trump nevertheless removed her prematurely from her post and referred to her as "bad news" in a conversation with the Ukrainian president.[6]
On Saturday, October 26, 2019 Reeker testified behind closed doors before several House Committees of US Congress in the
On July 15, 2021, Reeker was announced as the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to the United Kingdom, as of August 1, 2021.[12] As acting United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, Reeker attended a September 11 anniversary event in Windsor Castle in 2021.[13]
On August 24, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed Reeker as senior advisor for Caucasus negotiations. In this capacity, he serves as U.S. OSCE Minsk Group co-chair and lead negotiator for the U.S. delegation to the Geneva International Discussions.[14]
Honors and awards
In 2013 Reeker was awarded both the Robert C. Frasure Memorial Award for “his commitment to peace and the alleviation of human suffering caused by war or civil injustice” in the Balkans and the National Albanian American Council's “Hands of Hope Award.” He received the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy in 2003, and several State Department Superior Honor Awards.[15]
See also
- Impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump
- Trump–Ukraine scandal
References
- ^ United States Department of State
- ^ "Philip T. Reeker". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ The White House, George W Bush archives, "Phillip T Reeker," accessed Oct 26, 2019 [1]
- ^ "U.S. Consul General | Milan, Italy - Consulate General of the United States". Archived from the original on 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
- ^ "U.S. Diplomat: State Department Nixed Plan To Support Former Ambassador To Ukraine". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ CBS News, "State Department official appears under subpoena as part of impeachment probe" Oct 26, 2019 [2]
- ^ The New York Times, "Official Who Defended Ukraine Envoy Is Testifying in Impeachment Inquiry" October 26, 2019 [3]
- ^ Andrews, Andrew Duehren and Natalie (21 October 2019). "More Ukraine Witnesses Set to Testify in Impeachment Probe This Week". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ Kylie Atwood and Jeremy Herb (26 October 2019). "State Department official testifies he didn't know about push for Ukraine investigations". CNN. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ Salama, Vivian (26 October 2019). "State Department's Philip Reeker Testifies Top Officials Blocked Show of Support for Ousted Ambassador". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ "U.S. Diplomat: State Department Nixed Plan To Support Former Ambassador To Ukraine". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ "Appointment of Ambassador Philip Reeker as Chargé d'Affaires at Embassy London". United States Department of State. 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ Wright, Katie; Jackson, Marie (11 September 2021). "9/11 anniversary: Queen tells Biden the victims are in her prayers". BBC News. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ "New Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations". United States Department of State. 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ U.S. Department of State, "Philip T. Reeker" bio accessed Oct 26, 2019
External links
