Robert Stuart Gilchrist (born 1964) is an American

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

who has served as the principal deputy

assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor is the head of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and ...

since September 2023. He served as the

United States ambassador to Lithuania This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Lithuania. The United States first established diplomatic relations with the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) in 1922. One ambassador, resident in Riga, Latvia, was appointed to al ...

from February 2020 to August 2023. He is a 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 ...

with the rank of minister counselor. He was appointed by 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 Pe ...

and 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 ...

on December 20, 2019. Gilchrist was the fifth US ambassador from the LGBT community nominated to serve by the

Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...

Early life and education

Gilchrist earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from Wake Forest University and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

."President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts" White House, July 22, 2019

Career

Gilchrist was director of the

United States Department of State Operations Center The United States Department of State’s Operations Center (S/ES-O) monitors world events, prepares written briefs for the Secretary of State and other U.S. State Department senior officials, and facilitates communication between the State Depa ...

, deputy chief of mission of the United States embassy in Sweden, deputy chief of mission of the United States embassy in Estonia, and the director of Nordic and Baltic Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. Among his earlier assignments, he was deputy political counselor at the United States embassy in Iraq, chief of the political section of the United States embassy in Romania, and a special assistant in the Office of the

deputy secretary of state The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state. The current deputy secretary of state is Wendy Ruth Sherman, serving since April 2021 under United States Secre ...

United States ambassador to Lithuania

On July 22, 2019, President

announced his intent to nominate Gilchrist to be the United States ambassador to Lithuania. His nomination was sent to the Senate on August 1, 2019. Russian hostility was a central topic during his confirmation hearings. On December 19, 2019, his nomination was confirmed in the Senate by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

. Gilchrist was the fifth LGBT ambassador confirmed under the Trump administration. He presented his credentials to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on February 4, 2020. He left office in August 12, 2023.

U.S. State Department

Since September 2023, Gilchrist has served as the Principal Deputy

Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor is the head of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and ...

Personal life

Gilchrist speaks Spanish,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

, and

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilchrist, Robert S. 1964 births Living people 21st-century American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Lithuania Gay diplomats American gay men LGBT ambassadors of the United States United States Assistant Secretaries of State United States Foreign Service personnel University of Virginia alumni Wake Forest University alumni