Can you share some career highlights?
My first posting was Iraq during the war, which was a huge challenge. I had the benefit afterward of serving in Paris and lived a life that might be closer to what people imagine when they think of diplomats. Prior to my current post dealing with Libya, I was at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations where I worked on the Security Council—that was another situation (like Columbia) where I would sometimes pinch myself, sitting elbow to elbow with other diplomats trying to find peaceful solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
What are some challenges you face in your work in Libya?
There are no shortages of challenges in Libya, but ultimately it has all the elements to be a historic success story. It has a relatively small population, it is rich in resources, the differences between groups within the country are not insurmountable, and the population values their rich culture and recognizes the importance of education. The difficulty, as with many places in the world, is corruption and lack of trust. I’ve tried to impress upon Libya’s leaders that their political rivals are not their enemies. The real enemy in Libya is time—someday someone will find an alternative to fossil fuels, which is Libya’s primary source of revenue, and the core question is where Libya will be when that day comes.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I like music a lot and play some guitar, though not particularly well. One of my minor regrets from my time at Columbia was that I was too shy to put together a band
