President Donald Trump has nominated Henry Wooster, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, as the next Ambassador of the United States to Kenya.
In a statement by the White House on June 1, Wooster, of Virginia, was named Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the U.S. to the Republic of Kenya.
“Henry Wooster, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Kenya,” the statement read in part, alongside other numerous ambassadorial appointments.
Wooster’s appointment is now pending U.S Senate approval. If approved, he will take over from Meg Whitman who held the position from August 2022 until when she stepped down in November 2024.
Until his recent appointment, the career diplomat was serving as the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince. Prior to this role, he was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
He served as the U.S Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from September 2020 to July 2023.
Prior to his Ambassadorship, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Maghreb and Egypt.
Other assignments include Deputy Chief of Mission in Paris, Chargé d’Affaires at U.S. Embassy Amman, Political Counselor at U.S. Embassy Islamabad, Director for Central Asia at the National Security Council, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commanding General, U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran, Director of the Office of Iranian Affairs, Deputy Director of the Office of Provincial Affairs, Embassy Baghdad, Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary Jack Lew, Deputy Director, Office of Iranian Affairs, Iran Desk Officer, Political Officer, Embassy Moscow, Executive Officer, U.S. Mission to NATO, Desk Officer, the Office of Russian Affairs, Consul, Embassy Port au Prince, and Political Officer, Embassy Tbilisi.
Before joining the Foreign Service, Henry was an Army officer. He holds an M.A. from Yale University and a B.A. from Amherst College.
