Robert Pence

Robert Frank Pence (born 1945) is an American businessman who was United States Ambassador to Finland.[2][3] His nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 22, 2018.[4]

Robert Pence
Official portrait, 2018
34th United States Ambassador to Finland
In office
May 24, 2018 – January 14, 2021[1]
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byCharles C. Adams Jr.
Succeeded byDoug Hickey
Personal details
Born
Robert Frank Pence

1945 (age 77–78)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseSusan Sarbacher
EducationUniversity of Maryland (BA)
American University (JD, MA)
Yale University (MPhil, MA)

Career

Pence founded The Pence Group (formerly known as Pence-Friedel Developers, Inc.), a commercial development firm, in 1984 and served as its president for more than thirty years.[5][6] A Republican Party donor, he did not support the candidacy of Donald Trump but was recommended for an ambassadorial appointment by Vice President-elect Mike Pence, to whom he is not related.[7][8]

A graduate of the Washington College of Law at American University, he is the namesake of the school's Pence Law Library.[9]

Rescinding award from Jessikka Aro

In 2019, the State Department selected Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro as a recipient of the prestigious International Women of Courage Award and notified her that she would be receiving the award.[10] But the award was withdrawn after Ambassador Pence and others expressed concerns that Aro had authored social media posts that were critical of President Donald Trump and might make an anti-Trump political statement during the award ceremony.[10]

The Office of the Inspector General at the State Department investigated the decision to withdraw the report and concluded that Department officials, including Ambassador Pence, lied to Congress and the public about its reasons for rescinding the report.[11][10]

References
  1. Ambassador Pence bioUS Embassy in Finland Archived March 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Confirmation For Trump's Finland Ambassador Could Take Months". News Now Finland. November 14, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  3. Posnova, Anastasiia (November 28, 2017). "Robert Pence tapped for Finland ambassador". Yale Daily News. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  4. "Robert Pence '71 Confirmed as Ambassador to Finland". www.wcl.american.edu. March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  5. Rein, Lisa; Hedgpeth, Dana (July 17, 2009). "Largest Tysons Landowner to Sell Holdings". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  6. Hedgpeth, Dana (July 18, 2009). "Tysons Corner Developer Sells Holdings, With an Eye on Area's Future". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  7. Banister, Jon (November 2, 2017). "Virginia Developers Spending Big Money on Governor's Race". Bisnow. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  8. Haberman, Maggie (December 21, 2016). "Donald Trump, Seeking Ambassadors, Sorts Through Competing Priorities". The New York Times. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  9. "Our Donor". Pence Law Library. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  10. U.S. Department of State, Office of Inspector General (September 2020). "Review of the Selection Process for the International Women of Courage Award" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  11. "Watchdog: State Dept lied about rescinding woman's award". AP NEWS. April 30, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
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