Howard Van Vranken

Howard Andree Van Vranken[1] is an American diplomat serving as the United States Ambassador to Botswana since May 2023.

Howard Van Vranken
United States Ambassador to Botswana
Assumed office
May 24, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byCraig Lewis Cloud
Personal details
Born
Howard Andree Van Vranken
EducationUniversity of California, Davis (BA)
Harvard University (MA)

Education

Van Vranken earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis and a Master of Arts from Harvard University.[2]

Career

A career officer with the United States Foreign Service, Van Vranken has been assigned to embassies in Jerusalem, Sanaa, Oslo, Beirut, Tel Aviv, Belfast, and Tunis. He has also worked in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.[3] He has most recently served as executive director and deputy executive secretary of the United States Department of State.[4]

Ambassador to Botswana

On July 16, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Van Vranken to be the next United States Ambassador to Botswana.[2] On September 29, 2021, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.[5] On October 19, 2021, his nomination was reported favorably out of committee.[6] The full Senate voted to confirm Van Vraken by voice vote on December 21, 2022, more than a year later.[5] He presented his credentials to President Mokgweetsi Masisi on May 24, 2023.[7]

Awards and recognitions

Van Vranken is the recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award.[2]

Personal life

Van Vranken speaks Arabic, Persian, and Norwegian.

References
  1. State. United States Department of State. 1991. p. 23.
  2. "President Biden Announces Seven Key Nominations". The White House. July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. "Howard Van Vranken". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  4. Sheehey, Maeve (16 July 2021). "Former Sen. Tom Udall is Biden's pick as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  5. "PN912 - Nomination of Howard A. Van Vranken for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  6. "SFRC Approves 33 Critical Foreign Policy Nominations" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  7. "Ambassador Van Vranken's Statement Marking the Presentation of His Letters of Credence". United States Department of State. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
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