Female US envoy for RP named

By AL JACINTO, The Manila Times Correspondent

President George Bush has nominated Kristie A. Kenney to become the US ambassador to the Philippines, making her the first female American envoy to Manila once her appointment is approved.

In a report posted on the US Embassy website, Kenney will replace Francis Ricciardone, who stepped down in May, once the US Senate approves her appointment.

A Clemson University political science graduate, Kenny served as senior adviser to the assistant secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the Department of State. She earlier served as US ambassador to the Republic of Ecuador.

Kenney is a career US Foreign Service officer. She was also the economic counselor at the US Mission in Geneva, economic officer at the US Embassy in Argentina, and worked as consular officer at the US Embassy in Jamaica.

She served as executive secretary of the State Department—the first woman to hold that position.

As executive secretary, she headed a staff responsible for inter-agency policy coordination and crisis management, working directly for former State Secretaries Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright, respectively.

Kenney also led the State Department transition team from the administration of former US President Bill Clinton to President George Bush’s.

Her Washington assignments included being director of the State Department Operations Center; a detail to the White House as a member of the National Security Council staff; and political-military officer in the Office of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Affairs.

Kenney has a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Clemson University.

She also attended the National War College. She speaks Spanish and French.