Jeff Daigle

John Jefferson "Jeff" Daigle is an American diplomat who serves as the United States Ambassador to Cabo Verde, being sworn in on June 28, 2019.[1] Immediately prior to his Ambassadorship, Daigle served as Acting Executive Director for the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy[2] and Chief of Staff for the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Daigle is one of five LGBT appointed ambassadors under the Trump administration.[3]

John J. Daigle
U.S. Ambassador to Cabo Verde
Incumbent
Assumed office June 28, 2019
President	Donald Trump Joe Biden
Preceded by	Donald Heflin
Personal details
Born	Gonzales, Louisiana
Alma mater	Louisiana State University

Life and career

A native of Gonzales, Louisiana, Daigle came from a large family. Born to Carole and Warren Daigle (he has described his father as a "World War II naval hero"), Daigle has 10 sisters and one brother.[4]

Daigle graduated from Louisiana State University in 1987 (bachelor's degree in political science). Daigle had several jobs before entering the Foreign Service including working for an environmental non-governmental organization (Executive Director of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network), a construction company, an English teacher in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, a Regional Corporate Trainer for Hibernia National Bank in Baton Rouge and as an entertainer and facilitator of professional development programs at Disney World for seven years.[1][5]

Daigle joined the Foreign Service in 1999. Major assignments including the Assistant Public Affairs Officer at Embassy Abuja, Nigeria (1999-2001), Reporting Officer at the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York City for the 56th U.N. General Assembly (2001), at Consul at Embassy Paris, France (2002-2004), Public Affairs Officer at Embassy Phnom Penh, Cambodia (2005-2008). From 2011 to 2014, Daigle served as the Deputy chief of mission (DCM) at the United States Embassy Phnom Penh.[6] In the spring of 2014, Daigle was assigned to be the top public affairs officer in the United States Embassy Beijing, China but backed out of the position shortly before he was to begin language training. The Department could not guarantee they would be able to assist his husband, Matt Cuenca-Daigle, stay with Daigle on the multi-year tour in Beijing. The couple was told Cuenca-Daigle "would have to leave China every three months at his own expense and re-enter on a short-term visa."[7] They have been a couple for 18 years at the time of his confirmation hearings and Matt "has been with (him) through every posting but one."[4]

References

1. "LSU Grad Now Ambassador of Cabo Verde". Division of Strategic Services. LSU. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
2. Crisp, Elizabeth (March 19, 2019). "President Donald Trump nominates Louisiana native, LSU grad to be new Cabo Verde ambassador". The Advocate. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
3. Johnson, Chris (December 21, 2019). "Senate confirms fifth openly gay ambassador under Trump". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
4. "Statement of John Jefferson "Jeff" Daigle Ambassador-Nominee to the Republic of Cabo Verde Senate Committee on Foreign Relations" (PDF). Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
5. "Ambassador, John "Jeff" Daigle". US Embassy in Cabo Verde. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
6. "Deputy Chief of Mission, Jeff Daigle". Embassy of the United States, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Archived from the original on 2014-06-23.
7. Feder, J. Lester. "Gay Diplomats Say State Department Is Failing Their Families". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved April 16, 2015.