Barbara A. Feinstein, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti. Ms. Feinstein most recently served as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Caribbean Affairs, Haiti, Cuba, Mexico, and Central America with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Patricia Aguilera assumes the duties of the Chargé d’Affaires for the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. Aguilera has served in the country since July 2023, holding the position of Deputy Chief of Mission, until September 28, 2023. Patricia most recently served as the acting Director for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) for Mission Mexico, where she was responsible for the policy and strategy for the $3.4 billion security assistance program implemented across Mexico’s 32 states and federal government.
Ambassador Roger F. Nyhus is an accomplished business and civic leader – and one of only a handful of Native American ambassadors in U.S. history. Ambassador Nyhus was appointed by President Joe Biden in September 2022 and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate in November 2023. His top three priorities as ambassador are addressing climate change, enhancing regional security and promoting economic prosperity. Ambassador Nyhus brings an entrepreneurial, private sector perspective to his role.
Nicole Theriot was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 27, 2023 as Ambassador to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. Nicole most recently served as Consul General at U.S. Consulate Karachi, Pakistan and, prior to that, as Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti from July 2020-July 2022. She has served as the Director for Immigration and Visa Security at the U.S.
Michelle Kwan was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States to Belize on October 7, 2022. Ambassador Kwan has had a distinguished career in public service, diplomacy, and sports. She represented the United States as the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, having won 43 championships, including five world championships, nine national titles, and two Olympic medals. She became the first Public Diplomacy Envoy in 2006 and for a decade traveled extensively on behalf of the U.S.
Sofia works to close wage gaps and ensure opportunities for all people, advocating for gender equality and striving to build a better environment. Sofia served as Deputy Director of Applied Research at Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción, specializing in anticorruption initiatives, transparency, and accountability. She has advised the PREP (Programa de Resultados Electorales Preliminares) in local and federal electoral processes and has been involved in research and public entrepreneurship projects with institutions such as El Colegio de México (Colmex), ITAM, and Tec de Monterrey.
Roberto Velasco Alvarez holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Chicago, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Chicago Policy Review and spent one year as Mayoral Fellow in the Chicago Mayor's Office. He holds a bachelor's degree in law from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. After the July 2018 presidential election, he was invited by Secretary Ebrard to join the transition team. Previously, he held positions in the Mexican Ministry of Economy, the Mexico City government and the Mexico City Legislative Assembly, among others.
Mrs. Jennifer Pierce holds the positions of Senior Vice President and President at TC Energía. TC Energía, through a network of 2,740 km of natural gas pipelines, either in service or under construction, provides approximately 25% of natural gas in Mexico. Before assuming her current role, Mrs. Pierce occupied various executive positions, including responsibilities in business development, commercial management, goods marketing, human resources, communications, and investor relations.