President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 3, 2019

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts   Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration: Peter M. Haymond of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.   Mr. Haymond is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor.  He currently serves as Chargé d’Affaires at the United States Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.  Over nearly 30 years in the Foreign Service, Mr. Haymond has advanced United States policy in Asia through his work as Director of the State Department’s Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs, Consul General at the United States Consulate in Chengdu, China, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Vientiane, Laos.  Mr. Haymond also served as Division Chief in the Office of Energy and Commodities in the Bureau of Economic and Energy Affairs at the Department of State, and as Arabian Peninsula Officer in the Office of the Counterterrorism Coordinator.  Mr. Haymond earned a B.A. from Brigham Young University and an M.A.L.D. and Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.  He speaks Lao, Thai, Mandarin, and French. Kelly C. Degnan of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Georgia. Ms. Degnan, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister Counselor, currently serves as the Political Advisor to the Commander of United States Naval Forces Europe – United States Naval Forces Africa.  Previously, she was Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Mission to Italy, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Department of State, and Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo.  During her 25-year career, she also served as Political Counselor at the United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, Belgium, Senior Civilian Representative to Brigade Combat Team Salerno in Khost, Afghanistan, and Deputy Political Counselor at the United States Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.  She was the Special Assistant to the Secretary of State and to the Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Department of State.  Ms. Degnan earned a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University and a J.D. from the University of Southern California Law Center.  Ms. Degnan earned the Secretary of State’s Expeditionary Service Award, and she speaks Italian, French, Turkish and Urdu.