Ambassador Wilson was nominated to serve at the Ankara embassy by President George W. Bush on October 28, 2005. He was confirmed by the Senate on November 18, sworn in by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on December 2, and presented his credentials to President Sezer on December 8.

Before coming to Turkey, Ambassador Wilson served as Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff for Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick from February to August 2005, providing policy and staff support to the Deputy Secretary on the entire range of issues in U.S. foreign policy. Between June 2003 and February 2005, Ambassador Wilson served as U.S. Senior Negotiator for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. In this capacity, he headed the U.S. delegation in the FTAA negotiations and was responsible for the development, coordination and implementation of U.S. government negotiating positions and strategies in these trade talks.

A career officer in the U.S. Foreign Service with the personal rank of Minister-Counselor, Ambassador Wilson has worked for over 26 years at the Department of State and at American missions abroad. President Clinton nominated him as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan in February 2000, and he served in that capacity in 2000-2003. From 1997 to 2000, Ambassador Wilson was Principal Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union. Elsewhere overseas, he has served as U.S. Consul General in Melbourne, Australia (1995-97), twice at the American embassy in Moscow, USSR (1980-82 and 1987-90), and at the American embassy in Prague, Czechoslovakia (1985-87). In Washington, Ambassador Wilson worked for Secretaries of State Baker, Eagleburger and Christopher in 1992-94 as Deputy Executive Secretary of the Department of State. He was Special Assistant to Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs and Counselor of the Department Zoellick in 1990-92. Early in his career, he served in the State Department’s Offices of Soviet Union and Egyptian Affairs.

Born in 1955 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ambassador Wilson received a Bachelors degree magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 1977 and Masters degrees from Columbia University (1979) and the U.S. National War College (1995). He is the recipient of the President’s Meritorious Service Award (2005), Azerbaijan’s Order of Honor, and numerous State Department awards. Ambassador Wilson is married to Margo Squire, who is also a career diplomat with the State Department. They have two sons.