Michael Gonzales appointed by biden as the new ambassador to Zambia

US President Joe Biden has nominated Michael Gonzales as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Zambia.

Mr. Gonzales is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor.

He currently serves as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs in the U.S. Department of State.

Before this assignment, Mr. Gonzales was the Director of Analysis of Africa in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

Overseas, he held leadership positions as the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, and of the U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi; and as the Political and Economic Counselor of the U.S. Embassies in Harare, Zimbabwe and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Among other assignments, Gonzales served as Spokesperson and Information Officer at the U.S Embassy in Addis Ababa; Ethiopia Desk Officer in the State Department; and Deputy Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, Uganda.

Mr. Gonzales earned a B.A. Degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, and an M.A. Degree from American University’s School of International Service in Washington, D.C.

Mike Gonzales joined the Bureau of African Affairs in October 2020. His portfolio covers West Africa and the Sahel Region. He previously served as the Director for Analysis of Africa in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, Mike previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. at the U.S. Embassies in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Lilongwe, Malawi.

Throughout his career, Mr. Gonzales has built partnerships with host governments, international partners, and civil society organizations to promote good governance, open political space, improve business environments, protect human rights, and expand economic opportunities.

His previous assignments include service as the Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassies in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia; the Horn of Africa Unit Chief in the Office of East African Affairs; Deputy Public Affairs Officer in Kampala, Uganda; Information Officer and Embassy Spokesman in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Environment, Science, and Technology Officer in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Mr. Gonzales was an economic analyst in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 2009, the American Foreign Service Association awarded him the William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent.

He is a five-time recipient of the Department of State’s Superior Honor Award and the 2011 runner-up for the James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence.

He received a Master of Arts degree in international development from American University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College.

He has studied Spanish, French, Italian, and Bengali.