Mark Gitenstein was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Romania on July 29, 2009. Before accepting President Obama’s nomination to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Romania, Mark Gitenstein was a non-resident senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, where he specialized in issues related to national security and civil liberties. He was also a partner at the Washington office of the multi-national firm Mayer Brown LLP.
Previously, Ambassador Gitenstein worked as a Senate staff member for 17 years - both for Senator Biden as Committee Counsel and as Chief Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is the author of Matters of Principle, an award winning book on his experience managing the Judiciary Committee staff during the confirmation battle over the nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court in 1987.
Ambassador Gitenstein has been selected by his peers several times for inclusion in "Best Lawyers in America". He holds a bachelors degree from Duke University and a law degree from Georgetown University. Ambassador Gitenstein’s great grandparents emigrated from Romania to the U.S. in the late 19th century, making him the first U.S. Ambassador to Romania with Romanian heritage.
