David Nathan Merrill (born 1943) is an American retired diplomat who served as the ambassador of the United States to

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Early life

Merrill was born in 1943. He earned a B.A. from

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

, before completing his master's degree in international affairs from the

Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The School is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations and is well-ranked in it ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

. He completed a master's degree in public affairs in Asian economic cevelopment at the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. His wife is Irrum Mehmood Merrill.

Career

Merrill served as the

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

Mission Director in Indonesia from 1986 to 1989. In 1992 he was made a career minister in USAID, the highest position in the organization. He served as the USAID Representative to Burma. He served as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People's Republic of Bangladesh. He was appointed ambassador on February 11, 1994. He presented his credentials to the President of Bangladesh on April 5, 1994, and served until May 14, 1997. Before that he was the acting assistant administrator of USAID Europe at the State Department. Merrill served during the first peaceful democratic handover of government in Bangladesh. He received both the President's

Meritorious Honor Award The Meritorious Honor Award is an award of the United States Department of State. Similar versions of the same award exist for the former U.S. Information Agency, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and USAID. It is presented to groups or indiv ...

and the State Department's

Superior Honor Award The Superior Honor Award is an award of the United States Department of State. Similar versions of the same award exist for the former U.S. Information Agency, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and USAID. It is presented to groups or individ ...

. He was also awarded the USAID's

Distinguished Honor Award The Distinguished Honor Award is an award of the United States Department of State. Similar versions of the same award exist for the former U.S. Information Agency, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and USAID. It is presented to groups or i ...

. After retiring from the State Department he worked as a consultant for energy companies in Asia. He is the president of the non-profit U.S.-Indonesia Society (USINDO) which works to encourage educational and legislative exchange between the United States and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, David Nathan 1943 births Living people Ambassadors of the United States to Bangladesh The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Brandeis University alumni United States Foreign Service personnel