Palmer is Obama’s pick as US Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean

The United States has nominated a career member of the Senior Foreign Service as the new ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.{{more}}

On October 31, President Obama announced his intention to nominate Larry Leon Palmer as Ambassador to Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Palmer, an experienced diplomat, served as President and CEO of the Inter-American Foundation from 2005 to 2010.

Previously, he was U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Honduras from 2002 to 2005 and Charge D’Affaires in Quito, Ecuador. Additional overseas posts have included the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Paraguay, Korea, and Sierra Leone.

Ambassador Palmer served as Assistant to the President of the University of Texas at El Paso and President of the 41st Senior Seminar, a senior management course for Senior Foreign Service Officers. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Palmer served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia. Ambassador Palmer received a B.A from Emory University, an M. Ed. from Texas Southern University and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration and African Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Palmer’s nomination was announced with those of four other individuals.

President Obama said: “I am confident that these outstanding men and women will greatly serve the American people in their new roles and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”