Randy Berry was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Nepal on Oct 3rd, 2018 making him the second openly gay U.S. Ambassador, nominated by President Donald Trump and one of the highest-ranking gay official in the Trump administration. First was Richard Grenell, U.S. Ambassador to Germany.
He took the oath from the Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan at Ben Franklin room in the State Department.
@JVNoyes
Randy Berry is a career Senior Foreign Service Officer with 25 years of experience as a diplomat. He currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Previously, he served as the State Department’s Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons (2015-2017),” reads his official biography on the U.S. Department of State website.
It’s not always a good news to have gay or lesbian diplomats in countries like Nepal." But, Randy Berry’s confirmation as the next U.S. ambassador to Nepal is a welcome news. Mr Berry knows Nepal very well as he was the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nepal from 2007–2009. During that period Nepal went through rapid transitions: civil war ended, first constituent assembly election was held, we(LGBTI) won the landmark supreme court case of 2007 that established LGBTI rights and I got elected as a member of Member of Parliament in 2008. During his time, the US mission played crucial role to promote democracy and human rights for all in Nepal. (Sunil Babu Pant)
Countdown is on! The U.S. Ambassador-Designate for #Nepal, Ambassador Randy W. Berry was sworn-in on October 3 in Washington, DC. We are eager to welcome him to Kathmandu! pic.twitter.com/J0rlBDiAKd
— Ambassador Randy Berry (@USAmbNepal) October 5, 2018
Besides serving in Nepal as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy, Berry has served twice as United States Consul General/Principal Officer, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2012-2015) and Auckland, New Zealand (2009-2012).
So excited to witness swearing in of a great friend and diplomat, Randy Berry, as new US Ambassador to Nepal. Kathmandu and @USEmbassyNepal, get ready for the awesome! pic.twitter.com/HuGIRvQHIp
— Julieta Valls Noyes (@JVNoyes) October 3, 2018
Mr. Berry’s early career with the State Department has also taken him to postings in Bangladesh (1993-1995), Egypt (1996-1998), Uganda (1998-2002), and South Africa (2003-2007), as well as Washington, DC (2002-2003). Mr. Berry holds multiple State Department Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards and Senior Performance Awards. He speaks Spanish and Arabic.
Berry is a graduate of Bethany College of Lindsborg, Kansas, and was a Rotary Graduate Scholar at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
