Tours: Consular Officer, Guayaquil; Watch Officer in the Operations Center, Washington; Afghanistan Desk Officer, Washington; American Citizen Services Chief, Bogotá; Regional Consular Officer, Frankfurt; Consular Section Chief, Guayaquil; Graduate Student at the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Washington; American Citizen Services Chief, London; Public Diplomacy Officer, Kabul

Career Track: Consular

Years of Service: 20

Prior Experience: Assistant Defender for the Office of the State Appellate Defender in Illinois, representing indigent criminal defendants in their appeals to the state appellate and supreme courts (1994-2000); beer vendor at Chicago’s Wrigley Field (1985-1991)

Languages: Spanish

Education: M.S. in National Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School at National Defense University (2015); J.D. from DePaul University in Chicago (1994); B.S. in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1990)

Interesting Experience: Leading the Embassy team that assisted American victims of the 2017 terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom. When Americans are caught up in a crisis overseas—whether terrorism, a natural disaster, or a transportation accident—consular teams provide invaluable help that eases suffering for those directly affected and for their loved ones back home. It can be draining, heart-rending work, but there is immense satisfaction and pride that comes from having supported your compatriots during what may be the most distressing moments of their lives.

Last Post: Public Diplomacy Officer in Kabul, Afghanistan

Why I Chose a Foreign Service Career: Ron joined the Foreign Service because he wanted a career in public service, while also having the opportunity to explore the world and experience different cultures first-hand.