Byrnes Kate Marie – Republic of North Macedonia – April 2019

REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

UNITED STATES SENATE

SUBJECT:            Ambassadorial Nomination:  Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service  Act, Section 304(a)(4)

POST:                  Republic of North Macedonia

CANDIDATE:       Kate Marie Byrnes

Kate Marie Byrnes, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy Athens, Greece, a position she has held since 2017.   Over 26 years in the Foreign Service, she has developed a commanding understanding of our policy and operations in Europe, including as Deputy Chief of Mission and Deputy U.S. Permanent Representative, U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Vienna, Austria from 2014 – 2016 where she also worked closely with the OSCE Mission to Skopje.   Ms. Byrnes also served as Public Affairs Counselor at the U.S. Embassy Madrid Spain, 2011 – 2014 and, in a further demonstration of the breadth of her leadership, she served as the U.S. Department of State Senior Civilian Representative to Task Force Bastogne/Bronco, Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan, 2010 – 2011.  Ms. Byrnes’ distinguished record of leadership, coupled with her considerable experience in European affairs and on the process of accession to NATO and the European Union, make her an excellent candidate to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia.

Previously, Ms. Byrnes served as Public Affairs Advisor to the U.S. Mission to NATO, Brussels, Belgium, from 2007 – 2010, and as the Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, from 2004 – 2007.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Byrnes was a Professional Staff Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a Pearson Fellow and also served as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Public Affairs and Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.  She began her Foreign Service career at the U.S. Information Agency in 1993 and had early assignments Ankara, Turkey and La Paz, Bolivia.

Ms. Byrnes earned a B.S. (1992) and M.A (2004) from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.   Ms. Byrnes is the recipient of multiple senior State Department Awards including the Secretary’s Expeditionary Service Award in 2012.  She also was a two-time recipient of the U.S. Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award and was recognized with awards from the U.S. Agency for International Development and former U.S. Information Service.   She speaks Spanish, Hungarian and Turkish.