Christopher J. Marut is an American diplomat who last served as Director of the

American Institute in Taiwan The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT; ) is the ''de facto'' Embassy of the United States of America in Taiwan. The AIT institution is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the federal government of the United States in Taiwan with Congressional oversi ...

, the ''de facto'' embassy of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

, from 2012 to 2015. He also served as acting consul general of the

Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong and Macau The Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong and Macau, represents the United States in Hong Kong and Macau. It has been located at 26 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, since the late 1950s. The consul general is H ...

(also a ''de facto'' embassy of the United States) from 2009 to 2010. He later served as foreign policy advisor to Commander,

United States Pacific Command United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, ...

(CDRUSPACOM), Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr.

Early life and education

Marut was born in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

in 1952; his father, Walter, was an engineer for

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military av ...

. Marut received a

BBA Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...

from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main c ...

in 1974, an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

, and an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

Diplomatic career

Marut joined the Foreign Service in 1984; his early postings include the US Embassy in China, the US Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau, the US Embassy in Malaysia, and a first assignment at the

from 1986 to 1989, where he served as a Consular Officer as well as a Science and Technology Officer. Marut also had stateside postings at the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...

Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs In the United States Government, the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP, originally the Office of Chinese Affairs) is part of the United States Department of State and is charged with advising the Secretary of State and Under Secre ...

(EAP), including an appointment as the Director of the Office of Regional and Security Policy. In 2007, Marut was appointed deputy consul general of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau; he served as acting consul general from 2009 until a permanent appointment was made in 2010. He returned to the EAP in February 2010 as Director of the Office of Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island Affairs. Marut succeeded William Stanton as the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan in September 2012; he completed his three-year term in June 2015. In recognition of his contributions to improved relations between the United States and Taiwan, Marut was awarded the

Order of Brilliant Star Order of Brilliant Star () is a civilian order of the Republic of China (Taiwan) recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of the nation. The order is instituted in 1941 and can be awarded to both domestic and foreign nationals. ...

by President

Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei fro ...

of Taiwan.

After diplomacy

In July 2015, Marut joined the staff of Commander,

(CDRUSPACOM), Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr, as a foreign policy advisor.

Family

Marut and wife Loretta have two children, Carolyn and Kenneth, both of whom were born in Taiwan during Marut's first assignment at the American Institute in Taiwan.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Marut, Christopher J. 1952 births Living people People from New Haven, Connecticut University of Notre Dame alumni Haas School of Business alumni American diplomats Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star Directors of the American Institute in Taiwan Consuls general of the United States in Hong Kong and Macau