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Arnold A. Chacón

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Arnold A. Chacón
United States Ambassador to Canada
In office
May 28, 2021 – December 7, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byKatherine Brucker (acting)
Succeeded byDavid L. Cohen
30th Director General of the Foreign Service
In office
December 22, 2014 – June 2, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded byLinda Thomas-Greenfield
Succeeded byCarol Perez
United States Ambassador to Guatemala
In office
August 29, 2011 – March 5, 2014
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byStephen McFarland
Succeeded byTodd Robinson
Personal details
Born1956 (age 67–68)
SpouseAlida Chacon
Alma materUniversity of Colorado, Boulder

Arnold A. Chacón (born 1956) is an American career diplomat who served as acting United States Ambassador to Canada in 2021.[1] He has served as Senior Vice President of the National Defense University since August 2018.[2]

Personal life and education

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Ambassador Chacón grew up in Denver and received a bachelor's degree in international affairs from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado where he attended on a full-ride academic scholarship granted by the Boettcher Foundation. His wife of 30 years, Alida Chacón, is also a member of the U.S. Foreign Service. They have three children.

Career

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A career U.S. Foreign Service officer, he has served in a number of leadership positions in Latin America and Europe, including Deputy Chief of Mission in Madrid, Spain. He has led initiatives to promote free and fair elections, advance respect for human rights, and support the rule of law. While ambassador, Chacón also directed crisis management operations, worked with international partners to combat human trafficking, and advanced regional free trade agreements.

Chacón served as State Department Deputy Executive Director in Washington, D.C., and at the United States Mission to the United Nations.[citation needed] He was a Fellow at the American Political Science Association,[citation needed] and is the recipient of the State Department's Presidential Rank Award and other leadership honors.[citation needed] He speaks Spanish and Italian.

He was the United States Ambassador to Guatemala from August 29, 2011, to March 5, 2014. He was subsequently the Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources at the Department of State.[3] He was then detailed from the Department of State to the National Defense University as Senior Vice President.

On May 28, 2021, it was announced that Chacón had been designated as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Biography of Charge d'Affaires Arnold Chacon". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Canada. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  2. ^ Ambassador Arnold Chacon > National Defense University
  3. ^ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  4. ^ Appointment of Ambassador Arnold Chacon to serve as Chargé d’Affaires to Canada
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Guatemala
2011–2014
Succeeded by
Preceded by Director General of the Foreign Service
2014–2017
Succeeded by