Consul General Mark J. Powell

Consul General Mark J. Powell

Mark J. Powell assumed his duties as U.S. Consul General in the states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia in August, 2011.

A career Foreign Service officer, Mr. Powell has served in a variety of capacities, both domestically and abroad, covering issues relating to Europe, Iraq, Central- and South America, and the Caribbean. Prior to taking up his post in Leipzig, Mr. Powell served from 2009 to 2010 as the Team Leader of embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (ePRT) Baghdad West. In that capacity, he and his team lived and worked with two successive U.S. Army brigades to help strengthen the rule of law, restore civil capacity, and facilitate tribal reconciliation in the area immediately west of the Iraqi capital.

Mr. Powell’s Foreign Service career began with an assignment as Vice Consul and Political Officer in the Dominican Republic, followed by a posting as Vice Consul and Political Officer in El Salvador. From 1993, he served in various positions in Washington, including that of OSCE Desk Officer in the Department’s Office of European Security and Political Affairs.

His next foreign assignment was as Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in 1997. Following his three years in Italy, Mr. Powell returned to Washington as Country Officer for Colombia. During that time, he was briefly assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, in support of Plan Colombia. After two years in Washington, Mr. Powell became the deputy head of the Political Section in Venezuela, followed by a posting as Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs to the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica. In 2007, Mr. Powell returned to Washington as deputy director of the Office of Western European Affairs in Washington, covering 14 countries. His primary responsibilities were for issues relating to the UK, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Born in Texas and raised near Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Powell holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and a Masters in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. His foreign languages are Spanish, Italian, and German. Mr. Powell’s personal interests include history, soccer, classic automobiles, and Formula One.