Kristie Kenney
Encyclopedia
Kristie Anne Kenney is an American
diplomat
and the current United States Ambassador to Thailand
. She previously served as the United States
Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines
. She is the first female U.S. Ambassador to both countries. Kenney holds a Masters degree in Latin American Studies
from Tulane University
and a Bachelor's degree
in Political Science
from Clemson University
.
In July 2010, President
Barack Obama
nominated Kenney as the United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand
. She was confirmed by the United States Senate
on September 29, 2010.
. Kenney served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador
and the Philippines
. Before working for the United States Foreign Service
, she worked as a United States Senate Page
, a tour guide
in the United States Capitol
, an intern in the House of Representatives
, and as a staff member of the Senate Human Resources Committee.
At the State Department, she was appointed overseas as Economic Counselor at the United States Mission to International Organizations in Geneva
, Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina
, and Consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica
. Back home, she was appointed as Director of the State Department Operations Center, a detail to the White House as a member of the National Security Council staff, and Political-Military Officer in the Office of NATO Affairs.
Kenney served as Executive Secretary of the State Department before becoming Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. She worked for both Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright
and Colin Powell
and led the State Department's transition team from the Clinton
to Bush Administrations.
on November 3, 2005 to succeed Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr.
. She was confirmed by the United States Senate
on February 16, 2006, and was sworn into office by Secretary
Condoleezza Rice
on March 6, 2006. Kenney arrived in the Philippines on March 17 and submitted her credentials to Philippine President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
on March 22.
Following the 2007 Manila Peninsula rebellion
, Kenney voiced support for Arroyo, a key Bush ally in the Southeast Asian theater of the U.S.-led war on terror
. She congratulated Philippine authorities for their quick action that led to the arrest of suspects behind the 2007 Batasang Pambansa bombing
, and she praised MMDA for keeping Manila clean and orderly.
Regarding the question of U.S. bases, she said: “We are not building any bases in the Philippines, we don’t have any plans to have bases, and we don’t need any bases." On December 4, 2007, Kristie Kenney turned over seven Navy utility boats and two Boston whalers to the Philippine Navy
in ceremonies held at its headquarters on Roxas Boulevard, Manila.
Also, Kenney and World Bank country director Bert Hoffman signed the grant agreement of $750,000 or about P32 million at the International Finance Corporation offices in Makati City, for the Bangsang Moro Mindanao Trust Fund agency. She earlier announced a 3-million-dollar grant to the Philippines to help promote family planning in the workplace and the US donation of $38, 000 for preservation of Banaue rice terraces.
On November 19, 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama
designated Harry K. Thomas, Jr.
to replace Kenney. The Philippine media reported that Kenney, widely known to have become fond of her post, felt "heartbroken" at the thought of leaving it, quoting her Facebook status update, which reportedly read:
William Brownfield
. She speaks both Spanish and French. She is raised Catholic. After being appointed as Philippine ambassador, she has also learned some Tagalog words. She has appeared in ABS-CBN
shows, including Wowowee
and Umagang Kay Ganda
, cheerfully taking part in each show's hit dance Boom Tarat Tarat and Papaya, respectively. She is also a fan of boxer Manny Pacquiao
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and the current United States Ambassador to Thailand
United States Ambassador to Thailand
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Thailand.Thailand has had continuous bilateral relations with the United States since 1882. Relations were interrupted during World War II when Bangkok was occupied by Japanese forces. Normal relations were resumed after the war in 1945.The...
. She previously served as the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines
United States Ambassador to the Philippines
The office of the United States Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines was established on July 4, 1946 after the Philippines gained its independence from the United States....
. She is the first female U.S. Ambassador to both countries. Kenney holds a Masters degree in Latin American Studies
Latin American Studies
Latin American studies is an academic discipline dealing with the study of Latin America and Latin Americans.-Definition:Latin American studies critically examines the history, culture, politics, and experiences of Latin Americans in Latin America and often also elsewhere .Latin American studies...
from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
and a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
.
In July 2010, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
nominated Kenney as the United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. She was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on September 29, 2010.
Diplomatic career
Prior to being the U.S. Ambassador to ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Kenney served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Before working for the United States Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
, she worked as a United States Senate Page
United States Senate Page
A United States Senate Page is a non-partisan federal employee serving the United States Senate in Washington, DC. Despite the non-partisan affiliation, Pages are typically divided to serve the party that appointed them.-Selection:In order to become a US Senate Page, one must first be nominated...
, a tour guide
Tour guide
A tour guide provides assistance, information and cultural, historical and contemporary heritage interpretation to people on organized tours, individual clients, educational establishments, at religious and historical sites, museums, and at venues of other significant interest...
in the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
, an intern in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, and as a staff member of the Senate Human Resources Committee.
At the State Department, she was appointed overseas as Economic Counselor at the United States Mission to International Organizations in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and Consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Back home, she was appointed as Director of the State Department Operations Center, a detail to the White House as a member of the National Security Council staff, and Political-Military Officer in the Office of NATO Affairs.
Kenney served as Executive Secretary of the State Department before becoming Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. She worked for both Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...
and Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
and led the State Department's transition team from the Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
to Bush Administrations.
First Woman to be U.S. Ambassador to The Philippines
Kenny was nominated by U.S. President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on November 3, 2005 to succeed Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr.
Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr.
Francis J. Ricciardone is the United States ambassador to Turkey. Previously he was Deputy Ambassador at the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was also on leave from the U.S. Department of State as a guest scholar at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He has served as U.S...
. She was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on February 16, 2006, and was sworn into office by Secretary
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
on March 6, 2006. Kenney arrived in the Philippines on March 17 and submitted her credentials to Philippine President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
on March 22.
Following the 2007 Manila Peninsula rebellion
Manila Peninsula rebellion
The Manila Peninsula rebellion occurred on November 29, 2007 at The Peninsula Manila hotel in Makati City, Philippines. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Brigadier General Danilo Lim, and 25 other Magdalo officers walked out of their trial and marched through the streets of Makati City...
, Kenney voiced support for Arroyo, a key Bush ally in the Southeast Asian theater of the U.S.-led war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. She congratulated Philippine authorities for their quick action that led to the arrest of suspects behind the 2007 Batasang Pambansa bombing
Batasang Pambansa bombing
The Batasang Pambansa bombing occurred on the night of November 13, 2007, at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City, Philippines...
, and she praised MMDA for keeping Manila clean and orderly.
Regarding the question of U.S. bases, she said: “We are not building any bases in the Philippines, we don’t have any plans to have bases, and we don’t need any bases." On December 4, 2007, Kristie Kenney turned over seven Navy utility boats and two Boston whalers to the Philippine Navy
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, literally, "Sea Force of the Philippines"....
in ceremonies held at its headquarters on Roxas Boulevard, Manila.
Also, Kenney and World Bank country director Bert Hoffman signed the grant agreement of $750,000 or about P32 million at the International Finance Corporation offices in Makati City, for the Bangsang Moro Mindanao Trust Fund agency. She earlier announced a 3-million-dollar grant to the Philippines to help promote family planning in the workplace and the US donation of $38, 000 for preservation of Banaue rice terraces.
On November 19, 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
designated Harry K. Thomas, Jr.
Harry K. Thomas, Jr.
Harry K. Thomas, Jr. is the United States Ambassador to the Philippines. A former United States Ambassador to Bangladesh and Director General of the United States Foreign Service , Thomas was designated by US President Barack Obama on November 19, 2009 to replace Kristie Kenney...
to replace Kenney. The Philippine media reported that Kenney, widely known to have become fond of her post, felt "heartbroken" at the thought of leaving it, quoting her Facebook status update, which reportedly read:
"Heart broken to think of leaving the Philippines but know it is time for me to plan to return to be with my family. Calling on my FB friends to help me not be sad but to enjoy and savor my remaining months in this lovely country."
Personal life
She is married to the former United States Ambassador to ColombiaUnited States Ambassador to Colombia
The following is a list of Ambassadors of the United States, or other chiefs of mission, to Colombia and its predecessor states. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.- Gran Colombia:The following...
William Brownfield
William Brownfield
William R. Brownfield is the current Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as of January 10, 2011. . He has previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Chile, Venezuela, and Colombia....
. She speaks both Spanish and French. She is raised Catholic. After being appointed as Philippine ambassador, she has also learned some Tagalog words. She has appeared in ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
shows, including Wowowee
Wowowee
Wowowee was a Philippine noon-time variety show broadcast by ABS-CBN. The show premiered on February 5, 2005, and aired live on weekdays and Saturdays. The show was also broadcast worldwide through ABS-CBN's The Filipino Channel...
and Umagang Kay Ganda
Umagang Kay Ganda
Umagang Kay Ganda is a morning show airing on ABS-CBN, ABS-CBN Regional Network Group, and simulcasts on ABS-CBN News Channel. Premiered on June 25, 2007, it airs every weekday mornings from 5:00 to 8:15 AM.-Synopsis:...
, cheerfully taking part in each show's hit dance Boom Tarat Tarat and Papaya, respectively. She is also a fan of boxer Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
.