Gene A. Cretz

Gene Allan Cretz (born April 20, 1950)[1] is a career diplomat who retired from the Senior Foreign Service in 2015. Before retiring, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana.

Gene Cretz
United States Ambassador to Ghana
In office
October 8, 2012 – June 26, 2015
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byDonald Teitelbaum
Succeeded byPatricia Alsup (Acting)
United States Ambassador to Libya
In office
January 11, 2009 – May 15, 2012*
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byJoseph Palmer II
Succeeded byJ. Christopher Stevens
Personal details
Born
Gene Allan Cretz

(1950-04-20) April 20, 1950
Albany, New York, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Rochester
Buffalo State College
Stony Brook University
  • Joan Polaschik served as Chargé d’Affaires while the Tripoli embassy suspended operations from February 25, 2011 – September 22, 2011.

Early life

Cretz was born in Albany, New York, and attended Albany High School, graduating with the class of 1968. He subsequently taught there from 1977 to 1979.[2] He received a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in linguistics and secondary education from Buffalo State College at Buffalo.

Diplomatic postings

Gene Cretz previously served in key diplomatic posts in Israel, Egypt and Syria. In addition to these postings, he has also been stationed in Pakistan, India, China, and in Washington D.C. Cretz was Christopher Stevens' immediate predecessor as U.S. Ambassador to Libya. Prior to assuming his post in Libya, he was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.[3]

Before this, he was the first U.S. Ambassador to Libya since 1972, after being nominated in July 2007 by President Bush.[4] His nomination was confirmed by the US Senate on November 21, 2008.[5] He was sworn-in as U.S. Ambassador to Libya by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on December 17, 2008, at the State Department.[6] He arrived in Libya on December 27, 2008. Cretz speaks several languages, including Arabic, Dari, Urdu, and Chinese. President Barack Obama nominated him for the post to Ghana in April 2012. He was sworn-in as the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on September 11, 2012. He presented his credentials on October 8, 2012, and served until June 26, 2015.[7]

From 2015 to 2019, Mr. Cretz was one of two representatives for the Director of the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO). During this assignment, he resided in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Ambassador Cretz returned to the Washington, DC, area in 2019.

Personal life

He is married to the former Annette Williams and the couple has two adult children, Jeffrey and Gabrielle. His son is a commissioned officer in the Air National Guard in the greater Philadelphia area and his daughter is a consultant in Miami, Florida.

See also

References
  1. "Gene Allan Cretz - People - Department History - Office of the Historian".
  2. Fitzgerald, Bryan (12 April 2011). "Long journey from Albany: Gene A. Cretz rose to be U.S. ambassador to Libya". Albany Times Union. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  3. "Statements by Deputy Chief of Mission Gene Cretz". US embassy, Tel Aviv. Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
  4. "Bush nominates ambassador to Libya". USA Today. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
  5. "US Senate Confirms Diplomat to be First US Ambassador to Libya in 36 Years". Voice of America. 2008-11-21.
  6. "Ambassador: Biography". United States Embassy in Tripoli. United States Department of State. Archived from the original on 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  7. "Gene Allan Cretz (1950–)". Department of State.
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