Experience

Embassy of Canada | Ambassade du Canada

• Canada
• International Affairs
• 700 & Above Employee

• Ambassador

  • Sep 2017 - Present

  Lead the Canadian relationships in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Direct the efforts for building and managing strategic bilateral and multilateral interests along with programming goals for Canada with these three key Central American countries. Speak, act, lobby, and advocate on behalf of the Government.KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS☑ Securing commitments from all three host governments to support Canada’s candidature for the United Nations Security Council and the International Maritime Organization.☑ Advanced multi-lateral and bilateral interest through strategic intervention and support via Organization of American States (Electoral reform, Human Rights - Nicaragua), Nicaragua political unrest (Sanctions), Lima Group (Venezuela), Equal Rights Coalition (LGBTQ rights as Human Rights), OECD (Accession support for Costa Rica), and Emergency Humanitarian Assistance (Honduras, Nicaragua – hurricanes Lota and Eta.☑ NICARAUGA—Bilateral Programming—Growth That Works for Everyone/Human Dignity/ Education/Inclusive Governance/Empowerment of Women and Girls/Food Security/Support to Civil Society/Human RightsAdvancing Nicaragua’s Agriculture Food Export Sector.Protecting girls and adolescents from sexual violence, teenage pregnancies, and early marriage.Empowering economic and civil society for women and girls; strengthening independent media.☑ HONDURAS—Bilateral Programing—Growth That Works for Everyone/Human Dignity/Governance/Rule of Law and Access to Justice/Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights/Opportunities for Vulnerable Populations/Prevention of Gender Based Violence ☑ INTER-AMERICAN REGIONAL PROGRAMMINGPreventing irregular child migration in Central America.Support to COVID-19 response in Central America.Improving access to civil justice in Latin America.Climate-smart agriculture in Central America.☑ COSTA RICA—Technical and regulatory reform support for Costa Rica’s accession process to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.



Consulate General of Canada in Seattle | Consulat général du Canada à Seattle

• United States
• Government Administration
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Consul General

  • Jan 2015 - Sep 2017

  Served as Canada’s representative for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Lead efforts to boost economic growth by promotion of bilateral trade, regional economic integration, and investment attraction. Environmental interests, mutual border issues, treaty re-negotiations, and the development of state and federal networks that that fed directly into the DC-driven Canada/US relationship were also core to my mandate. Speak, act, lobby, and advocate on behalf of the Government.KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS☑ Secured the presence of Prime Minster Trudeau as keynote speaker for the Microsoft CEO Summit—a world class forum of 140+ global business leaders to debate technology and innovation.☑ Senior level mediation to conclude an environmental cooperation agreement between the State of Alaska and the Province of British Columbia covering transboundary issues of mutual concern.☑ Brought together state, provincial, and federal players in advance of formal renewal negotiations to set the parameters for the renewal of the Columbia River Treaty—a 1961 agreement between Canada and the US on the development and operations on the upper Columbia River basin for power generation and flood control.☑ Established and maintained an extensive network that empowered and facilitated the advancement of Canadian interests on both state and federal levels.



Embassy of Canada, Kuwait

• Chargé d'affaires

  • Jul 2014 - Nov 2014

  Maintained advancing Canada’s bilateral relationship with the State of Kuwait. Established strategic responsibility leadership, networking, and liaising required to establish and operationalize the Ali Al Salem forwarding operating base in support of Canadian military assistance to the Government of Iraq. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS☑ Extensive political lobbying and advocacy with Kuwaiti Ministers and senior officials combined with Canadian and US military liaison in order to formalize and operationalize the Memorandum of Understanding permitting the presence of a Canadian operating base in Kuwait supporting peace and stabilization efforts in Iraq.



Embassy of Canada, Afghanistan

• Deputy Head of Mission

  • Nov 2012 - May 2014

  Key leader along with the head of mission accountability for providing government leadership and corporate oversight in planning, implementing, and evaluating the overall Afghanistan support strategy for the Government of Canada. Provided strategic policy development and integration. Coordinated Government activities and operations. Liaised with military, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, and the International Committee of the Red Cross as well as likeminded bilateral missions.KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS☑ Advanced Canadian initiatives related to rule of law and justice in Afghanistan. Collaborated with military, Afghan Civil society, Afghan Parliamentarians, Ministries, and international partners to identify ways to promote human rights, especially those related to women and girls, governance, maternal, and child health in the delivery of $130+ Million international assistance envelope.☑ Primary interface for a protracted (16 month) complicated negotiations with the Government of Afghanistan initially at the Deputy Minister and Minister level and eventually with Cabinet and Presidential involvement to revalidate a 2005 Canada–Afghanistan Technical Agreement. Battling endemic, persistent, multilayer corruption, and impunity hard won success enabled a protocol for the Embassy’s essential security footprint and ensured retention of tax exemption for its contractors saving mission operations a looming $6 Million tax bill.☑ Primary liaison and interface with the International Committee of the Red Cross for Mission management and advancement of two cases where citizens were being held hostage by Taliban forces.☑ Provided executive leadership to all personnel to ensure work and living environments had safety and security. Led the collaboration with Canadian and the multi-nation International Security Assistance Force, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, and Afghan Police Force to mitigate threats.



Embassy of Canada, Libya

• Chargé d'affaires

  • Aug 2012 - Oct 2012



Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

• Director Middle East and Africa Commercial Relations

  • Sep 2008 - Jul 2012

  Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

• Director - Europe* & Central Asia Commercial/Economic Relations

  • Sep 2008 - Jul 2010

  *Europe non EU countries



Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada

• Canada
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Deputy Director - South America Division

  • Sep 2008 - Aug 2009



High Commission of Canada, Mozambique

• High Commissioner ( Ambassador)

  • Sep 2005 - Aug 2008

  The post of Ambassador in countries who are members of the Commonwealth is known as High Commissioner. The post of Ambassador in countries who are members of the Commonwealth is known as High Commissioner.



Consulate General of Canada, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Consul General

  • Sep 2002 - Sep 2005



Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada

• Canada
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Deputy Director - Hemisphere Summits Office

  • Jun 1999 - Aug 2000

• Head of Delegation/Office - Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission

  • Nov 1998 - May 1999