Carmen G. Cantor (born February 23, 1968) is an American diplomat who is serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs. She previously served as the

United States ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to the Federated States of Micronesia. Following World War II, the Federated States of Micronesia, along with several other island nations, were part of the United Nations Trust Territory o ...

Early life and education

Cantor was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the city of Mayagüez. Her father was a veteran of the United States Army. After initially studying industrial engineering, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. She later earned a Master of Arts from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico."President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts" White House, July 15, 2019

Career

Cantor is a career member of the

Senior Executive Service The Senior Executive Service (SES) is a position classification in the civil service of the United States federal government equivalent to general officer or flag officer rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. It was created in 1979 when the Civil Service ...

. Before joining the Department of State, Cantor served in the United States Postal Service. She later served as director of the Office of Civil Rights for the Foreign Agricultural Service, and as director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at the Federal Maritime Commission. Previous posts at the

Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

include being executive director of the

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. It is responsible for the Un ...

and

Bureau of International Information Programs ' The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) supports the department's public diplomacy efforts by providing and supporting the places, content, and infrastructure needed for sustained conversations with fo ...

from 2013 to 2016, executive director of the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism from 2011 to 2013, and serving as deputy director for recruitment, examination, and employment. From 2016 to 2019, she was the director of civil service human resource management at the State Department.

Ambassador to Micronesia

On July 15, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Cantor as the next ambassador to Micronesia. Her nomination was sent to the United States Senate on July 17, 2019. Hearings on her nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on October 16, 2019. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on November 20, 2019. On December 19, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by voice vote. On January 31, 2020, she presented her credentials to President

David W. Panuelo David W. Panuelo (born April 13, 1964) is a Micronesian politician who is serving as the president of the Federated States of Micronesia. His term started on May 11, 2019. Biography Panuelo was born on the island of Pohnpei, where he complete ...

U.S Interior Department

On March 11, 2022, Cantor was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the assistant secretary of the interior for insular and international affairs. Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Energy Committee on April 28, 2022. The committee favorably reported the nomination to the Senate on June 14, 2022. She was confirmed by voice vote on July 20, 2022.

Personal life

Cantor is fluent in Spanish. She is married to Carlos A. Cantor. Carmen Cantor has one sister, three daughters, and three stepchildren.

References