The United States Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman on Wednesday, November 11, announced her resignation from her role as the head of the American envoy.
Whitman in a statement addressed to President Joe Biden tendered her resignation highlighting some of her achievements during her time in Kenya, including delivering emergency funding to alleviate catastrophic flooding in 2023 to the ongoing fight against malaria, HIV, and MPOX.
At the same time, Whitman announced that the US envoy in Kenya will now be led by Marc Dillard in her absence until another ambassador is selected by President-Elect Donald Trump.
“Our Embassy benefits from highly skilled Kenyan and American employees who will continue their efforts under the leadership of Chargé d’Affaires Marc Dillard to advance the shared goals on which our bilateral relationship has long been grounded,” the letter reads in part.
Profile of Marc Dillard
Marc Dillard is an accomplished diplomat currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy.
A member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, Marc Dillard has served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi since August 2022.
Also Read: Ambassador Meg Whitman Resigns
Dillard has had a variety of postings in Washington and overseas since joining the State Department in 1998.
Most recently, he was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest from 2019 to 2022.
Previous places where Marc has worked
Previous postings include stints as Director of the Office of Economic Policy Analysis and Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and as Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs in Sofia, Bulgaria.
He has also worked in Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Japan, and Korea, and as a Watch Officer/Senior Watch Officer in the State Department’s Operations Center.
Also Read: Meg Whitman Breaks Silence on Her Exit from Kenya
Dillard received a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Duke University and a doctorate in political economy and public policy from the University of Southern California.
He was a consultant in the private sector, taught economics at the university level, and is the recipient of multiple State Department Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards.
Dillard is married to Julia Dillard, who is also a Foreign Service Officer and they have two children.
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