Teddy Bernard Taylor (born 1953) is a United States diplomat. A member of the

Senior Foreign Service The Senior Foreign Service (SFS) comprises the top four ranks of the United States Foreign Service. These ranks were created by the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and Executive Order 12293 in order to provide the Foreign Service with senior grades equ ...

, Taylor served as the

United States Ambassador to Papua New Guinea Diplomatic presence of the United States of America in Papua New Guinea began on September 16, 1975 when the latter became an independent state. The United States Embassy was opened on September 10, 1975 and Mary S. Olmsted became the first U ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

and

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

. He was succeeded by

Walter E. North Walter North is an American diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu between 2012 and 2016. He began his service as ambassador on December 4, 2012. Early life and education North grew u ...

on November 7, 2012.

Early life

Taylor was born in 1953 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He graduated from Florida A&M University in 1975. While enrolled at FAMU he became initiated as a brother of

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty advi ...

fraternity.

Political career

Taylor started his diplomatic career in 1978 working as a Consular/Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

through 1980. From 1981 to 1983, he worked at the U.S. Embassy in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

and from 1983 to 1985, at the embassy in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

. In 1985, upon his return to the states, he was appointed Deputy Director of Press and Public Affairs in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs remaining on the post until 1987 when he took up the role of Deputy Policy Officer for Latin America at the

United States Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...

. From 1988 through 1991, he served as Deputy Director for East Asian and Pacific Assignments at the Bureau of Human Resources; from 1991 to 1992, he was the Deputy Examiner in the Board of Foreign Service Examiners in the same Bureau and from 1992 through 1993, he served as the Special Assistant in the Visa Services Office in the

Bureau of Consular Affairs The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is a bureau of the United States Department of State reporting to the under secretary of state for management. The mission of the Bureau is to administer laws, formulate regulations and implement policies rel ...

. In 1995, he was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, Hungary, where he worked as the Consular Affairs Officer until 1999. In 2001, Taylor was appointed Director of the Orientation Division of

Foreign Service Institute The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the United States federal government's primary training institution for employees of the U.S. foreign affairs community, preparing American diplomats as well as other professionals to advance U.S. foreig ...

. He was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

to hold this post. Shortly thereafter, he served as the Consul General at U.S. Interests Section in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. In 2001-2003, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Director of the Office of Employee Relations in the Bureau of Human Resources. On September 21, 2009 he was sworn in as the

, also accredited to US embassies in the Solomon Islands and

Personal life

Being a member of Omega Psi Phi, he was active in extracurricular activities in some places of assignment. In Panama, he coached a teenager basketball team in

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

; in Hungary, he was the Chairperson of the Cub and Boy Scout parent organization and merit badge instructor and Chairman of the Eagle Scout Board of Review committee. He's married to

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 ...

Antoinette Corbin-Taylor. The couple has two children. Taylor is fluent in Spanish,

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 ...

and Hungarian.

References

External links

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Teddy Bernard 1953 births Living people Ambassadors of the United States to Papua New Guinea Ambassadors of the United States to the Solomon Islands Ambassadors of the United States to Vanuatu Florida A&M University alumni United States Department of State officials African-American diplomats United States Foreign Service personnel 21st-century African-American people 21st-century American diplomats 20th-century African-American people