Obama to nominate next U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon

President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate Maura Connelly as U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon to replace Michele Sison.

Connelly is currently a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Prior to that, she was the Charge d’Affaires for the U.S. Embassy in Damascus.

Connelly previously served as the Political Minister-Counselor for the U.S. Embassy in London and was the Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem. She was also the Deputy Counselor for Political Affairs for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York.

Other overseas posts include Jordan, Algeria and South Africa. Connelly received a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Masters in National Security Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

The White House made its announcement about Obama’s intention to nominate Connelly in a statement that also included news of the president’s intention to nominate Subra Suresh as Director of the National Science Foundation and Daniel Smith as Ambassador to Greece.

“I am proud that such experienced and committed individuals have agreed to take on these important roles in my administration. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years,” Obama said.

Naharnet