20100630
allafrica

Abuja — United States President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Mr. Terence P. McCulley as Ambassador-designate to Nigeria.

He will replace Ambassador Ms. Robin Renee Sanders when he is eventually confirmed by the US Senate.

The Information Officer at the US Embassy, Mr. David Renz, confirmed the nomination on telephone yesterday."President Barack Obama yesterday (Monday) nominated Mr. Terence McCulley as Ambassador-designate to Nigeria . At this point he is a nominee and would have to be confirmed by the US Senate," he said.

THISDAY gathered that Sanders' duty tour may wind up in September this year. But Renz said there is yet no indication as to when she will depart the country.

McCulley is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, with the rank of Minister-Counsellor at the State Department.

The Ambassador-designate's most recent posting was as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark.Prior to this, McCulley served as the US Ambassador to Mali and was at different times Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassies in Tunisia, Senegal and Togo.

Also, the US envoy has worked in other overseas postings including Niger, South Africa, India and Chad.

In Washington, McCulley was the senior desk officer for Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Deputy Coordinator for Iraq Assistance.

McCulley, who hails from Oregon, is a graduate in History and French of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Also nominated as Ambassador-designate are Norman L. Eisen, (Czech Republic), Scot Marciel, (Republic of Indonesia), Larry Palmer, (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela).

Sanders, the outgoing ambassador, took over as the US Ambassador to Nigeria in December, 2007. Until her appointment as ambassador to Nigeria, Sanders served as International Advisor and Deputy Commandant at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C. Prior to this position, she served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Congo (2002-2005) and as Director for Public Diplomacy for Africa for the State Department (2000-2002).

She served twice as the Director for Africa at the National Security Council at the White House and was the Special Assistant for Latin America, Africa, and International Crime for the Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the State Department (1996-1997).

Ambassador Sanders is the recipient of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Civilian Honour Award; three State Department Superior Honour Awards; four State Department Meritorious Honour Awards; the "President Merit of Honour Award" from the Republic of Congo , and several citations in 'Who's Who of America.'

She is a national board member of Operation Hope - a non-profit organization focused on empowerment of at-risk communities.