Scott Frederic Kilner

Scott Frederic Kilner

Scott Kilner is a career diplomat of Minister-Counselor rank, who has worked with the United States Department of State for 30 years.  He assumed his duties as Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey, in September 2010.  Mr. Kilner's most recent assignments were as Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge´ d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Austria (2005-09) and as head of the U.S. Embassy to Afghanistan's Office of Provincial Affairs (2009-10), where he oversaw the tripling of the United States' civilian presence in Afghanistan. 

Mr. Kilner joined the U.S. Foreign Service in April 1981.  His first postings were to Istanbul, Turkey, as Consular Officer from 1982-83;  to the U.S. Embassy to the German Democratic Republic (East Berlin) as Economic Officer from 1983-85; and as Political-Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Adana, Turkey, from 1985-87.

From 1987-92, Mr. Kilner held a series of positions in the Department of State's Bureau of European Affairs.  Following a year in the Office of European Regional Economic Affairs (1987-88), he served as Special Assistant to Assistant Secretary for Europe Rozanne Ridgway (1988-89).  From 1989-92, Mr. Kilner worked in the Office of Central European Affairs, first as Country Officer for Austria and Switzerland, and then as Country Officer for Germany, focusing on the economic consequences of German unification.  During the spring of 1991, Mr. Kilner served temporarily with Operation Provide Comfort in Southeast Turkey and Northern Iraq, assisting with the Kurdish refugee crisis that followed the Gulf War.

From 1992-96, Mr. Kilner was posted to Paris, France, as Counselor for Economic Affairs during the end-game of the GATT Uruguay Round trade negotiations.  From 1996-99, he served as Economic Counselor in Ankara, Turkey, focusing on regional Caspian Basin energy development and Turkish economic stabilization and reform.

Mr. Kilner returned to Washington in 1999 to participate in the 42^nd Senior Seminar, the U.S. Government's senior professional development program for foreign policy and national security officials.  He then became Director of the State Department's Office of Western European Affairs from 2000-02, responsible for U.S. bilateral relations with France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Malta and the Holy See.  From 2002-05, Mr. Kilner served at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy, as Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs.

Mr. Kilner is the recipient of numerous State Department awards.  He speaks German, Turkish, Italian, and French.  A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Mr. Kilner is a graduate of Stanford University (B.A. 1974) and The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (M.A. 1978).  He and his wife, Jan Kilner, have two grown children, Derek and Melinda.  During the Kilners' first tour in Istanbul, Jan taught biology at Bogazici University.  Mr. Kilner's personal interests include photography, opera, architecture, and European and Turkish history.