Kate Marie Byrnes (born 1971) is an American diplomat, who served as the
United States ambassador to North Macedonia between July 2019 and September 2022. She is a career diplomat who has received many awards for her service.
Education
Byrnes has a bachelor of science in international relations (foreign service) from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
, and a master's degree in policy management, also from Georgetown.
Career
Diplomatic service
During her time in the diplomatic service, she served in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. She also served as the deputy chief of mission of the
, where she expressed dismay at
Russian aggression against Ukraine
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
. After that, she became
deputy chief of mission in Greece from 2017 to 2019.
From 2007 through 2010, she was a public affairs advisor to the United States Mission to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
. She has previously represented U.S. interests in Bolivia, Hungary, Spain, and Turkey.
Ambassador to North Macedonia
She was originally nominated to
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
in 2018, and re-nominated in 2019, both before and after the
nation changed its name. Byrnes was appointed to replace Ambassador Jess Baily.
A career diplomat, she had served as the deputy ambassador in Athens, and was the designated representative of the U.S. mission to the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
in Vienna.
Addressing the
United States 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 pow ...
during her confirmation hearings, she averred her continuing commitment "to strengthen cooperation with (North) Macedonia as a strategic partner." She highlighted that the
Prespes agreement surmounted an historic hurdle, so its implementation is regionally important.
Upon her appointment, acting
Assistant Secretary of State Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the Under Secretary of State, under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the Under Secret ...
Philip Reeker
Philip Thomas Reeker (born January 19, 1965) is an American diplomat and career foreign service officer with the United States Department of State, Department of State who currently serves as the senior advisor for Caucasus negotiations. He was p ...
saw her appointment as a harbinger of "a new era of bilateral cooperation, as friends and allies of the Republic of Macedonia."
She brought twenty-four years experience as a diplomat before being appointed to the post.
Fulfilling its responsibility under the
Foreign Service Act
The Rogers Act of 1924, often referred to as the Foreign Service Act of 1924, is the legislation that merged the United States diplomatic and consular services into the United States Foreign Service. It defined a personnel system under which the U ...
, Section 304(a)(4), the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
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 pro ...
noted that she has a well-documented path of competency in extremely demanding positions.
Personal
Byrnes is married to Larry Scott Gage, a retired naval officer.
She speaks
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
,
Hungarian and
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
.
Awards
* Eight
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 ...
and
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 ...
s
*
Expeditionary Service Award
The Expeditionary Service Award is an award of the United States Department of State. It is presented to employees in the Department who serve in designated field locations. Currently, the following locations have been designated expeditionary b ...
from the U.S. Department of State
* Two
Meritorious Civilian Service Award
The Meritorious Civilian Service Award is commonly the highest award granted by U.S. Army Commanders (Major General and above, or civilian equivalent). The Award and Medal is provided to civilian employees within agencies of the federal governmen ...
s from the
U.S. Department of the Army
The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is o ...
.
See also
*
List of current ambassadors of the United States
*
List of ambassadors appointed by Donald Trump
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States, United States ambassadors Political appointments in the United States, appointed by the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump.
Ambassadorship ...
References
Notes
Citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrnes, Kate Marie
Ambassadors of the United States to North Macedonia
Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni
1971 births
Living people
United States Foreign Service personnel
21st-century American diplomats
American women ambassadors
21st-century American women
American women diplomats