President Donald Trump has nominated veteran diplomat Henry Wooster to serve as the next United States Ambassador to Kenya, according to a White House announcement published on June 1, 2026.
In the statement, the White House confirmed that Wooster, a senior career diplomat from Virginia and a member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service at the rank of Minister-Counselor, has been nominated as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Kenya.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he will succeed Ambassador Meg Whitman.
Education and Background
Henry Wooster is a senior American diplomat with over three decades of experience in foreign service, particularly in conflict-prone and strategically sensitive regions.
Wooster holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College and a Master of Arts degree from Yale University.
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His academic background has supported a career focused on foreign policy, security, and international relations.
Before joining the U.S. Foreign Service, Wooster served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1985 to 2009, including as a Special Forces officer.
His military service is often cited as a foundation for his later work in diplomacy, especially in areas involving security coordination and crisis response.
Henry is fluent in French and Russian and has working proficiency in Arabic, Persian, and Aramaic, reflecting his extensive diplomatic postings across the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe, and parts of Asia.
Henry Wooster Career Background and Achievements
Henry Wooster is an experienced diplomat who has handled senior roles both in overseas missions and in Washington.
He is currently serving as Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a position he took up on June 12, 2025.
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In this role, he oversees U.S. diplomatic work in Haiti amid political and security challenges.
He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Jordan from September 2020 to July 2023.
During that time, he worked under both the Trump and Biden administrations, managing relations with a key U.S. partner in the Middle East.
Wooster also served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, where he helped shape policy across the Middle East and North Africa.
He previously held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Maghreb and Egypt, overseeing diplomatic engagement in that sub-region.
Earlier in his career, he held senior embassy roles including Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Paris and Chargé d’Affaires ad interim and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. He also served as Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.
His Washington-based experience includes serving as Director for Central Asia at the National Security Council and as a foreign policy advisor to the Commanding General of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command.
He has also handled Iran-related policy portfolios, including roles as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran and Director of the Office of Iranian Affairs.
Wooster’s overseas assignments span multiple regions, including postings in Baghdad, Moscow, and Tbilisi. He also has prior experience in Haiti, having served as a consul at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince between 1998 and 2000.
Family Life
Henry Wooster is married to Laura Dallman, and the couple has four children.
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