Michael Walter Michalak (born 1946) is the former career
Foreign Service officer
A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U ...
and
United States Ambassador to Vietnam from 2007 to 2011.
He currently serves as Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director for the
US-ASEAN Business Council
The US-ASEAN Business Council (also known as "US-ABC" or "USABC") is an advocacy group that aims to foster economic growth and trade ties between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)'s ten member countries. I ...
.
Career
Born in
Detroit,
Michigan, Michalak received a Bachelor of Science degree from
Oakland University
Oakland University is a public research university in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson, it was initially known as Michigan State University-Oakland, operating under the Mi ...
in Rochester, Michigan, and Master of Science degree in Physics from
The Catholic University of America in
Washington, D.C. He received a second master's degree in
public administration from 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 ...
at
Harvard University in
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
After joining the Foreign Service, Michalak has served in different posts and agencies, including:
*Commercial Officer at U.S. Consulate General in Sydney, Australia (1974–1977);
*Financial Economist, Economic Section,
U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan (1977–1981);
*Economic Officer at Asia Bureau Regional Affairs Office (1981–1982) and Economic Officer at Japan Desk (1982–1986) in Washington D.C.;
*Chief of Bilateral Trade Unit at
U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan (1986–1991);
*Deputy Chief of Economic Section at
U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China (1991–1993);
*Deputy Director of Economics at the Office of China and Mongolian Affairs (1993–1996) and
*Deputy Coordinator at the Office of Eastern European Assistance (1996–1997) in Washington D.C., and as Senior Advisor at the National Center for
APEC in
Seattle, Washington (1997–2000).
He was the U.S. Senior Official to
APEC from November 2005 until his appointment as Ambassador to Vietnam. Prior to the APEC responsibility, he served again at the U.S. Embassy Tokyo, as Minister-Counselor of the Economic Section (2000–2004) and
Deputy Chief of Mission (2004–2005).
In February 2011 he assumed the position of Senior Advisor to the Private Sector Host Committee for APEC 2011.
Michalak has worked for the
United States Department of State for over 30 years and is the recipient of a group award for valor for his actions in time of crisis when the U.S. Embassy Islamabad was burned down.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michalak, Michael W.
1946 births
Living people
People from Detroit
People from Iowa
Ambassadors of the United States to Vietnam
Oakland University alumni
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
Catholic University of America alumni