David Huebner (born 1960) is an international arbitrator based in Southern California. He previously served as the
United States Ambassador
Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. ...
to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
.
He was the first openly gay ambassador in the Obama administration and the third openly gay ambassador in United States history.
His tenure was marked by significant improvement in bilateral relations, with commentators observing that relations are stronger and closer than they have been in decades.
[http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1210/S00153/usnz-councils-burst-of-activity.htm , Saturday, 27 October 2012 , US/NZ Council's burst of activity , ]Connie Lawn
Constance Ellen Lawn (May 14, 1944 – April 2, 2018) was an American broadcast journalist. Lawn had a brief career in politics, working for a congressman and the 1968 Eugene McCarthy presidential campaign before entering journalism.
She rep ...
Called an “excellent public face for the United States,” he has been widely praised as a successful Ambassador including for his accessible, inclusive approach, his emphasis on students and future leaders, and the innovative restructuring of his Embassies around social media and other nontraditional tools and approaches of diplomacy.
Before being appointed Ambassador he worked as an international lawyer in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
, and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, specializing in
international arbitration and
mediation
Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party neutral assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are ...
.
He is
licensed
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
as an
attorney in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, and in the
District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and as a
solicitor
A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.
Early life
Huebner was born in
Mahanoy City,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, a small
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
town in
Schuylkill County.
He attended Mahanoy Area High School after which he earned an A.B. degree ''summa cum laude'' from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
's
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of comprehensive course ...
.
[ While at ]Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
he was named a David Lawrence Scholar, served as president of Quadrangle Club, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
.[David Huebner Mediation Attorney , Mediation.com , Retrieved October 31, 2013 , http://www.mediation.com/memberprofile/david--huebner-90071-ac.aspx ] He earned his Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree at Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...
, where he served as editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
of the ''Yale Journal on Regulation
The ''Yale Journal on Regulation'' (JREG) is a biannual student-edited law review covering regulatory and administrative law published at Yale Law School. The journal publishes articles, essays, notes, and commentaries that cover a wide range of t ...
'', was director of the Street Law Project (which taught civics and basic law classes in local high schools), and was a member of the Yale AIDS Law Project, a student group that assisted with the publication of ''AIDS and the Law''. From 1984 to 1985, Huebner was on leave of absence from Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
as a Henry Luce Scholar
A Luce Scholar is a recipient of a cultural exchange and vocational fellowship sponsored by the Henry Luce Foundation, a private foundation established by Time, Inc. founder Henry R. Luce.
The program
Founded in 1974, The Luce Scholars Progra ...
, serving as a special assistant to the Hon. Koji Kakizawa
was a Japanese politician who served as Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1994.
After his death, he had been conferred as Junior Third Rank, Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.
After graduating from the University of Tokyo, Facul ...
, a member of the lower house of Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
's Diet.
Legal career
After graduating from law school in 1986, Huebner moved to Los Angeles, California as a Fellow at the Center for Law in the Public Interest.[Huebner Elected Chair of Law Revision Commission , California Law Revision Commission , August 28, 2006 , http://www.clrc.ca.gov/pub/Press/Press-Chair-Huebner-06.pdf ] A year later, he began his career in private legal practice at Irell & Manella
Irell & Manella LLP is an American law firm founded in 1941 by lawyers Lawrence E. Irell (1912–2000) and Arthur Manella (1917–1997). It has approximately 70 lawyers (down from a high of over 220), and placed 183rd on The American Lawyer's 20 ...
.[U.S. Department of State , Biography David Huebner , Retrieved October 30, 2013 ]
/ref> In 1992, Huebner joined the international law firm Coudert Brothers
Coudert Brothers LLP was a New York-based law firm with a strong international outlook that practiced from 1853 until its dissolution in 2006.
History
The firm was established in 1853 in New York by three sons of Charles Coudert Sr.: Frederic R ...
where he specialized in international arbitration and corporate compliance work and served as managing partner of the Los Angeles office, on the global executive board, and for a term as global chairman and chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
. In September 2005, he joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, moving to Shanghai to open the firm's first overseas office. He served as the firm's chief representative in China and managing partner of the Shanghai office, where he specialized in international arbitration, corporate compliance, and trade until leaving to become Ambassador.
In April 2014, Huebner joined the law firm Arnold & Porter LLP as a partner in its international arbitration, public international law, energy, and national security practices. He represented governments and corporations in international disputes, trade, and investment matters with an emphasis on intellectual property-intensive sectors as well as energy, infrastructure, and construction projects. He also handled cross-border regulatory, corporate compliance, and cyber and supply chain security matters. In 2016, President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
appointed him to the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The White House press release announcing the designation mentioned that the key administration appointment is for a six-year term. In early 2017 he left private law practice to become an independent arbitrator and mediator, and he affiliated with the arbitration institution JAMS International.[https://secure-web.cisco.com/10g08ljO4l7zzHxHozVQe0mpPJJcSbp8XCiLu4A0IoFO2lXgviXOjpdGqOgVwCXbxgzh2qchQojfcWW-4Awit0uWDONGIFqVUjYlU6Ze2XQ09Vvz241CncVw7-SmgBYl7kLty3QimaxKlaoGGdyEv1tvQjDnj-0Xh6KYWTsC8LcEXjKElNG7DhkTcu5SO6Jj1k3RmfWG0i3W3W738UAK2xik5xgIqUGvtZ4nJtbF6mLB8CYUOJo6PAZoAQVsIeV4Jtl8UeXOe1AS1WiVCGDn_VBh1w8kry0Vl1AJ5vc1478bH-tyEiqEyKfU9TJ8zvcQ8H4-8X3nUoChqWwO7mlp0cQ/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jamsadr.com%2Fnews%2F2017%2Fus-ambassador-ret-david-huebner-joins-jams-as-an-international-arbitrator ]
He is admitted as a Fellow of the London-based Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, serves on the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce's Commission on Arbitration and ADR, and serves on the panels or lists of arbitrators of several arbitration institutions, including the International Center for Dispute Resolution, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, Shanghai International Arbitration Center, Kuala Lumpur Regional Center for Arbitration, World Intellectual Property Organization, American Arbitration Association
The American Arbitration Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization in the field of alternative dispute resolution, providing services to individuals and organizations who wish to resolve conflicts out of court, and one of several arbitr ...
, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, and JAMS.
He is the chairman of the Southern California chapter of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
In 1999 Huebner was appointed to the California Law Revision Commission by Governor Gray Davis and was reappointed in 2005 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
. From 1999 to 2007 he taught full-semester courses in international law at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. He has also served as an arbitrator for more than a decade at the annual Willem Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot competitions in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
and Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
Diplomatic career
In October 2009, President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
nominated Huebner as U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, a post held by William McCormick until January 2009.[ Huebner was confirmed by the ]U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
on November 20, 2009.[ Huebner, a ]Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, was the first openly gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
ambassador in the Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
, and the third openly gay ambassador in U.S. history. He was the first LGBT ambassador in American history knowingly confirmed by the U.S. Senate. During his confirmation hearing
A United States congressional hearing is the principal formal method by which United States congressional committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Whether confirmation hearings (a procedure unique ...
before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid p ...
, Huebner introduced his partner
Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to:
Books
* ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997
* ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928
* ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart
* ''Partner'' (m ...
of 20 years, Duane McWaine; the hearing was held on the couple's 20th wedding anniversary, which Huebner acknowledged in his remarks. Huebner was sworn in as ambassador at the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
by Vice President Joseph Biden on December 4, 2009.
Separately accredited to New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
, he has responsibility as well for U.S. relations with the small island nations of Cook Islands
)
, image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, capital = Avarua
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Avarua
, official_languages =
, lan ...
and Niue
Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...
. During his time as ambassador, Huebner reengineered his two embassies around youth outreach, whole-of-society engagement, expanding exchange programs, developing new approaches and tools of “21st Century Statecraft,” and identifying practical, mutually beneficial opportunities for bilateral and multilateral cooperation on economic, science/technology, political, security, and civil society projects. In February 2013, The Sosaiete o Fa’afafine in American Samoa (S.O.I.F.A.S) hosted a welcoming event for Ambassador Huebner as a way of recognizing the role of human rights in the region raise awareness on "organizational issues" (in Samoan culture
The traditional culture of Samoa is a communal way of life based on Fa'a Samoa, the unique socio-political culture. In Samoan culture, most activities are done together. The traditional living quarters, or '' fale'' (houses), contain no walls and ...
, transgenderism has traditionally been tolerated and celebrated, while homosexuality is illegal). During this visit, Ambassador Huebner was given an official shirt embroidered with the S.O.I.F.A.S logo that is currently available in the LGBT Collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.[ The U.S. State Department and outside commentators have suggested that current relations between the ]United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
are the best they have been in decades.
Bilateral relations
Huebner hosted an unusually large number of visits by senior officials during his tenure as ambassador, including visits to New Zealand by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2010 (the first such visit to Wellington in a quarter century), Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano in 2012, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta
Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in several different public office positions, including Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, White House Chief of Staff, Director of the Office of ...
in 2012 (the first visit by a Secretary of Defense in more than 30 years), and Attorney General Eric Holder in 2013, as well as a visit to Cook Islands by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012. During her 2010 visit to Wellington, Secretary Clinton and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully signed the Wellington Declaration, reaffirming the historical ties between the U.S. and New Zealand and establishing a framework for renewed strategic partnership and practical cooperation. During a visit to Washington in 2012, New Zealand Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta signed the Washington Declaration, reaffirming the two countries historical cooperation on security matters and setting a framework for renewed dialogue and practical collaboration in areas such as humanitarian and disaster relief and maritime security.
Huebner successfully advocated for
Shiprider Joint Maritime Law Enforcement Agreement
between Samoa and the United States to assist Apia in enforcing its rights within its Exclusive Economic Zone. He also hosted the Pacific Partnership mission in 2013, restructured Embassy Apia around civil society capacity building and economic development, and facilitated construction of a district medical center near Faleolo Airport by the U.S. Pacific Command.
Youth outreach
Upon his arrival Huebner began forming student adviser groups at each university in New Zealand with whom he meets regularly.[Connecting Young Leaders Conference , October 5, 2010 , http://blogs.newzealand.usembassy.gov/ambassador/2010/10/young-leaders-connected-2/ ] All of the adviser groups are brought together annually for a three-day ''Connecting Young Leaders Conference'' focused on leadership training, policy discussions, and networking. His student adviser program has been replicated in other jurisdictions. In 2013 he launched a similar annual ''Future Leaders of the Pacific Conference'' (FLP) to engage with young leaders under age 25 from the 17 nations of the Pacific Islands Forum. The first FLP was held in Pago Pago, American Samoa. The second FLP is scheduled for 2014 in Apia, Samoa.
Other youth programs included establishing annual travel awards for top science students and social entrepreneurs, adding Samoa to the Fulbright scholarship program, supporting the Vex Robotics competitions in New Zealand, frequently teaching in local secondary schools, regularly lecturing in universities, sponsoring sports exchanges, adding students to the periodic U.S./N.Z. Partnership Forum, and hosting NASA's annual mobile apps competition (NASA Space Apps Challenge). Under his leadership the Embassy organized and hosted in 2013 the inaugural ''USA Universities Expo'' in Auckland which drew representatives from 35 American institutions of higher education and more than 2,600 local attendees.
Public diplomacy
Huebner restructured his Embassies to focus on whole-of-society and digital outreach. He launched new programs to engage indigenous peoples, the Pacific diaspora, faith communities, the LGBT community, veterans, and social entrepreneurs, and he revised Embassy invitation lists and events to reflect and include the full community.
Huebner also retooled Embassy Wellington into a test for the State Department's cyber-diplomacy and 21st Century Statecraft initiatives. In 2010 he launched one of the firs
ambassador blogs
and significantly expanded his Embassies’ social media platforms. In 2013 he built a digital recording and broadcast studio in Embassy Wellington. Under his leadership, Embassy Wellington in 2012 conceived and then partnered with the Auckland University of Technology
Auckland University of Technology (AUT) ( mi, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT ...
an
Social Media NZ
to host the inaugura
Project (R)evolution conference
which drew more than 200 digital thinkers from New Zealand, the United States, and elsewhere to discuss the status and future of digital communications and internet-driven change. The next Project conference is scheduled for May 2014.
Civic and volunteer activities
Huebner has been a generous benefactor of youth literacy and education programs including the Mahanoy City Public Library. He currently sits as honorary chairperson o
Fulbright New Zealand
a trustee of th
New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust
and patron for th
American Chamber of Commerce
He was a founding member of the Los Angeles Committee on Foreign Relations and was active in the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and the Pacific Council on International Policy. He served as a founding national board member, co-chair, and general counsel
A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department.
In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals i ...
(GLAAD) and as a member of the board of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center.
In 1994 he was appointed by the City Council to the Los Angeles Quality & Productivity Commission, where he served as president.[Coudert Brothers LLP , David Huebner - Chairman , Retrieved October 30, 2013 , http://careerinsider.vault.com/images/pdf/3035/1632.pdf ] In 1999 Huebner was appointed to the California Law Revision Commission by Governor Gray Davis[Coudert Brothers' Partner Nominated to California Law Revision Commission , PR Newswire , Retrieved October 30, 2013, http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/coudert-brothers-partner-nominated-to-california-law-revision-commission-77616967.html ] and was reappointed in 2005 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
, serving several terms as chairman.[ He served as a staff counsel to the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, formed after the Rodney King incident. He served on California Governor Gray Davis’ Judicial Selection Advisory Committee.
He has a particular interest in education and literacy efforts. For many years he has supported the public library in his hometown of Mahanoy City, and he was recently awarded the key to the City in recognition of his efforts.] From 1999 to 2007 he taught full-semester courses in international law at the University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
Gould School of Law and has lectured and led seminars in other universities in China, New Zealand, and the United States.[Ambassador , Embassy of the United States , United States Diplomatic Mission to New Zealand , Retrieved October 30, 2013 , http://newzealand.usembassy.gov/ambassador.html ]
Huebner was elected to life membership in the Council on Foreign Relations in 2015.
He currently serves on the board of the Pacific Council on International Policy, Founder Council of the Williams Institute
The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy, usually shortened to Williams Institute, is a public policy research institute based at the UCLA School of Law focused on sexual orientation and gender ident ...
at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, the executive committee of the Asia Society of Southern California, and the boards of the Swiss International Law School, Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, Princeton AlumniCorps, USC Annenberg Center for Public Diplomacy, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation.
Honors and awards
The communications industry professional association Public Affairs Asia awarded him and his team th
Gold Standard Award
for Social Media Communications at its annual awards event in Singapore in 2012.
On August 24, 2013, Huebner served as Grand Marshal at celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the founding of his hometown of Mahanoy City. For his public service and his support of the public library he was awarded the key to the City by the Mayor.[Grand Marshal named for Schuylkill Co. Firefighters Convention Parade , Times News , August 13, 2013 , http://www.tnonline.com/2013/aug/13/grand-marshal-named-schuylkill-co-firefighters-convention-parade ]
On October 20, 2013, Huebner and his spouse Dr. Duane McWaine were honored by GABA (Gay Auckland Business Association) at a black-tie dinner in recognition of their whole-of-society engagement and contributions to the LGBT community in New Zealand.
On October 25, 2013, the Royal Society of New Zealand awarded him an Illuminated Scroll for his efforts in promoting science and technology collaboration and education.[David Huebner , LinkedIn , http://linkedin.com/in/dhuebner ]
On October 30, 2013, Huebner was made a Fellow of the Auckland University of Technology Faculty of Business and Law in recognition of his commitment to higher education and student achievement. AUT's Vice-Chancellor, Derek McCormack, presented the award at a reception held at Auckland's Mackelvie Gallery.
On August 19, 2014, Huebner's diplomatic passport, his spouse Dr. McWaine's diplomatic passport, and other artifacts of his time as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa were taken by the Smithsonian Institution into its permanent collection of American history.
In 2015 he was invited to deliver the 7th Annual Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Lecture at Harvard's Adams House and the 10th Annual Robert I. Weil Lecture by the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
In 2016 the Secretary of the Navy awarded Huebner the U.S. Navy's Distinguished Public Service Award for his humanitarian and security work as ambassador.
See also
* Embassy of the United States in Wellington
* List of LGBT ambassadors of the United States
References
External links
David Huebner's biography
by the U.S. State Department
David Huebner's blog
, via newzealand.usembassy.gov
Embassy of the United States – New Zealand
''official website''
Embassy of the United States – Samoa
''official website''
Written Statement of David Huebner
, testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid p ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huebner, David
1960 births
Living people
Ambassadors of the United States to New Zealand
Ambassadors of the United States to Samoa
American civil rights lawyers
American law firm executives
American legal scholars
California Democrats
Educators from California
California lawyers
Gay diplomats
Obama administration personnel
People from Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
University of Southern California faculty
Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni
Yale Law School alumni
LGBT ambassadors of the United States
LGBT people from Pennsylvania
21st-century American diplomats
Arnold & Porter people