Michael Peter Pelletier is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Madagascar & Comoros from 2019 to 2020.

Early life and education

Pelletier was raised in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. He earned a B.S.F.S. 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 ...

, a Certificat d’Etudes Politiques from Institut d’Etudes Politiques,

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, and a

Master of International Affairs The Master in International Affairs (MIA), or the Master in Global Affairs (MGA), also known as Master in International relations (MIR) is a master's degree awarded by schools of international affairs. Subject matter Details can vary between deg ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

Pelletier, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, has served as an American diplomat since 1987. He has served at eight United States Missions overseas and in senior leadership positions at the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

, including as Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States embassy in

New Delhi, India New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, ...

, and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs. From 2016 to 2019, he was the Dean of the School of Professional and Area Studies at the Foreign Service Institute. He is the recipient of thirteen senior State Department awards, including a Presidential Meritorious Service Award and the Linguist of the Year. On August 13, 2018, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

announced his intent to nominate Pelletier to be the next Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros. On January 2, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by 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 ...

. He presented his credentials to President

Andry Rajoelina Andry Nirina Rajoelina (Malagasy: ; born 30 May 1974) is a Malagasy politician and businessman who has been the president of Madagascar since 2019. He was previously president of a High Transitional Authority, provisional government from 2009 t ...

on March 5, 2019 and to President

Azali Assoumani Azali Assoumani ( ar, غزالي عثماني; born 1 January 1959) is a Comorian politician and military officer who has served as President of the Comoros since April 2019. He was also president from 2002 to 2006 and 2016 to February 2019. He ...

on June 24, 2019. In 2021 Pelletier was appointed as the Executive Director of the Institute for Global Engagement at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

.University of Houston Welcomes Executive Director for New Institute for Global Engagement
Office of the Provost, University of Houston. Retrieved 2021-08-03.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelletier, Michael Peter Living people 20th-century American diplomats 21st-century American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Madagascar Ambassadors of the United States to the Comoros School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni Georgetown University alumni United States Assistant Secretaries of State Year of birth missing (living people)