President Obama nominated Mr. Henry S. Ensher, a Senior Foreign Service Officer, as the U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria in March 2011. Mr. Ensher was confirmed by the Senate in May and arrived at U.S. Embassy Algiers in mid-July 2011.
Following his nomination, Mr. Ensher worked in the Office of Afghanistan Affairs as a Senior Advisor while awaiting confirmation. In 2010-2011, he was the Senior Civilian Representative-South, located at the Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan. Before his time in Afghanistan, he served as Director of the Office of Afghanistan Affairs from 2008-2010, and chaired the Department of Near East and North Africa Area Studies at the Foreign Service Institute from 2006-2008. During that time, he was also the Coordinator for Iraq and Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Team training.
After his return from Iraq in June, 2005, he held positions of increasing responsibility in the Office of Iraq, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, including Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
From July 2004 to June 2005, Mr. Ensher served as Deputy Political Counselor in Baghdad. In that position, he was responsible for the daily operations of the largest US Embassy political section, which required frequent interaction with military elements on intelligence and operations issues. Under the Coalition Provisional Authority, he was Governance Coordinator in Qadisiyah Province November 2003 to June 2004.
Mr. Ensher has been a Foreign Service Officer for 27 years and has served overseas in Mexico, Muscat, Tunis, Damascus, Jeddah, Algiers, and Tel Aviv. That service has included tours as political and economic section chief, as well as responsibility for commercial and public diplomacy programs.
