The US Embassy in Bucharest has announced that the head of the diplomatic mission, Kathleen Kavalec, will retire from service. The Vice Chairman of the US Federal Election Commission had stated in early May that the ambassador had chosen to retire.
“We express our gratitude to U.S. Ambassador to Romania, Kathleen Kavalec, who is retiring after a distinguished career in the United States diplomatic service. Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec has fulfilled her mission with dedication, strengthening the partnership between the United States and Romania. We thank her for her leadership and commitment to shared democratic values,” the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest announced in a post on its Facebook page.
Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Dickerson Appointed as U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires in Bucharest
Michael Dickerson, Deputy Chief of Mission, will assume the role of Chargé d’affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest. “Thanks to his deep knowledge of Romania and our bilateral priorities, career diplomat Michael Dickerson will continue to advance our close and enduring relationship,” the diplomatic mission announced.
Dickerson joined the U.S. Department of State in 2002. His most recent post was as Deputy Chief of Mission in Baku, Azerbaijan. His previous assignments include Tbilisi—where he facilitated the first visit of a U.S. president to the Caucasus—Vilnius, Budapest, two postings in Azerbaijan, and Moscow. In Washington, D.C., he chaired the Technology Transfer Working Group while serving in the State Department’s Office of Conventional Arms Threat Reduction.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in national security from the U.S. Naval War College. He also served in the Peace Corps in Guinea from 1997 to 1999. He is accompanied in Romania by his wife and two daughters.
Earlier this May, James Trainor, Vice Chairman of the U.S. Federal Election Commission, confirmed that U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec is retiring. “She was not recalled or removed. She reached retirement age and chose to retire,” Trainor explained during a visit to Bucharest for the presidential elections. “She will leave Romania as ambassador, and it has nothing to do with politics,” he emphasized.
Kathleen Kavalec was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Romania on December 20, 2022. Between 2019 and 2022, she served as Head of the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously, she was Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR).
A career diplomat, Kavalec has held various diplomatic positions, including Director for Russia, Deputy Permanent Representative and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to UNESCO in Paris, Deputy Coordinator for U.S. Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia, and Director for Conflict Prevention in the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.
She has served in several countries, including Ukraine (as Political Counselor), Russia (in two political postings), Romania, and Brazil. Notably, she served as Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Romania from 2005 to 2008.
First U.S. Message After Election Delivered by Embassy
The message was posted on Tuesday on the Facebook and X pages of the US Embassy in Bucharest, a day and a half after the results of the Romanian presidential election were announced. The United States sent its first message to Romania’s president-elect Nicușor Dan on Tuesday, coming through the diplomatic mission in Bucharest.
“We look forward to working with Nicușor Dan, as President of Romania, and the new government, to advance our shared priorities, such as defense, energy, and trade partnerships,” the message on the US Embassy’s Facebook and X pages stated.
The U.S. Embassy announced on May 18 that it had observed the second round of the election.