Todd D. Robinson
Todd D. Robinson | |
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Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs | |
Assumed office September 30, 2021 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Leader | Antony Blinken |
Preceded by | James A. Walsh (acting) |
United States Ambassador to Venezuela | |
In office December 18, 2017 – May 22, 2018 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Larry Leon Palmer |
Succeeded by | James B. Story |
United States Ambassador to Guatemala | |
In office September 16, 2014 – September 20, 2017 | |
President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Arnold A. Chacón |
Succeeded by | Luis E. Arreaga |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 1963 (age 58–59) Fanwood, New Jersey |
Alma mater | Georgetown University |
Todd D. Robinson (born c. 1963) is an American diplomat who has served as assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs since September 2021. He previously served as the charge d'affaires of the U.S. embassy in Venezuela from December 2017 until being expelled in May 2018, and the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala from 2014 to 2017.
Early life and education[]
Raised in Fanwood, New Jersey, Robinson graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in 1981 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service in 1985 from Georgetown University.[1]
Robinson can speak Spanish, Italian and Albanian.[1]
Consular career[]
Robinson joined the State Department in 1986, with his first postings to Colombia (in 1987) and El Salvador (in 1989). He returned to Washington in 1991, to work as watch officer at the operations center of the State Department. In 1993, Robinson was assigned to Rome, Italy as staff assistant to the ambassador at the time, Reginald Bartholomew and two years later was moved across the city to work as the political officer at the Embassy in Vatican City.[1]
1997 saw Robinson return to Latin America to work as political officer in the La Paz embassy, Bolivia until he was recalled in 1999 for a post as special assistant to the then Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. The next year, he was sent to the Dominican Republic as deputy counselor for Political and Economic Affairs.[1]
After four years at the embassy in Santo Domingo, Robinson was again posted to Europe to work as chief of the Political and Economic Section of the Albanian embassy in Tirana. Two years later, Robinson left to work as consul general at the consulate in Barcelona, Spain.[1]
In 2009, he was posted to Guatemala as deputy chief of mission. He stayed until June 2011, when he was recalled to work in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in Washington.[1]
He was nominated for the ambassadorship of Guatemala by President Obama and confirmed on September 16, 2014.[2] He arrived in Guatemala City on October 10 the same year.[1]
In December 2017, Robinson was reassigned by President Trump to be charge d'affairs en pied at the embassy in Caracas, Venezuela. In January 2018, Robinson attempted to obtain the release of American citizen, Joshua Holt who had been jailed in the country by meeting with Venezuelan foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza.[3] On 22 May the same year, Robinson and his deputy, were expelled from the country as persona non grata by Nicolas Maduro, the newly re-elected president.[4][5] Days later, Joshua Holt was freed and allowed to return to the USA.[6]
Robinson then served as a senior advisor for Central America in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs in Washington D.C. and as the Director of the International Student Management Office at the National Defense University.
On April 12, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Robinson as Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.[7] On April 27, 2021, his nomination was sent to the Senate. On September 28, 2021, he was confirmed by a vote of 53-41.[8][9] He was sworn in on September 30, 2021.[10]
References[]
- ^ a b c d e f g Straehley, Steve. "U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala: Who Is Todd Robinson?". AllGov. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Todd Robinson". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Diplomat in Venezuela Raises Concern About Detained American". New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ Gurney, Kyra. "State Department to appoint new leader for U.S. embassy in Venezuela". Miami Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ Casey, Nicholas. "Nicolás Maduro Expels Top U.S. Diplomats from Venezuela". New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Joshua Holt case: US sanctions 'to stay' despite prisoner release". BBC. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "President Biden Announces His Intent to Nominate 11 Key Administration Leaders on National Security and Law Enforcement". The White House. 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ "PN447 - Nomination of Todd D. Robinson for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Todd D. Robinson, of New Jersey, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs) )". US Senate. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "Todd D. Robinson". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- 1960s births
- Living people
- Ambassadors of the United States to Guatemala
- Ambassadors of the United States to Venezuela
- Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni
- People from Fanwood, New Jersey
- Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School alumni
- United States Foreign Service personnel
- United States Assistant Secretaries of State