U.S. President Joe Biden speaks before signing an executive order in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, July 9, 2021.
Alex Edelman | CNP | Bloomberg | Getty Images
President Joe Biden on Friday revealed the names of four new nominees to serve as U.S. ambassadors to nations including France, India, Bangladesh and Chile, the White House said in a press release.
Biden will nominate Denise Campbell Bauer to be his ambassador to both France and Monaco. Bauer was reportedly a major fundraiser for former President Barack Obama and had served in his administration as U.S. ambassador to Belgium between 2013 and the end of Obama’s final term.
Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, was officially listed in the release as Biden’s intended nominee to become U.S. ambassador to India. Outlets including NBC News had reported as early as May that Garcetti would be nominated to that post.
Peter Haas, a career member of the State Department’s senior foreign service, was tapped to become Biden’s ambassador to Bangladesh. Haas, who speaks French and German, has served as head of the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai, India.
Biden will also nominate Bernadette Meehan, currently the head of global programs for the Obama Foundation, to be his ambassador to Chile. Meehan has more than a decade of experience as a foreign service officer and had previously served as a spokeswoman for the National Security Council.
The latest crop of nominees reflect Biden’s preference toward selecting officials with ample experience within relevant institutions, unlike his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, who picked many people with limited experience in government to serve key roles.
Biden’s picks for the ambassador roles must be confirmed by the Senate. More than 80 of the president’s nominees have been confirmed by the Senate, according to The Washington Post, while the chamber is currently considering about 160 more.
