Koutsis, Steven Christopher – Republic of Chad – August 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 Chad

CANDIDATE:     Steven Christopher Koutsis

Stephen Christopher Koutsis, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister Counselor, has served as Charge d’Affaires in Khartoum, Sudan since November 2016, where he led a successful engagement with Sudan that resulted in the lifting of the U.S. economic embargo after twenty years.  Prior to that, he served as Director of the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, as Deputy Chief of Mission in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and as Deputy Director in the Office of Central African Affairs, which includes Chad.   Mr. Koutsis was also Team Leader of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Diyala Province, Iraq.  His extensive experience with African affairs, coupled with his demonstrated ability to effectively build and lead teams in challenging environments, make him an excellent choice to serve as American Ambassador to the Republic of Chad.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Koutsis was Political and Economic Counselor in Monrovia, Liberia during the critical post-civil war phase and oversaw efforts to rebuild the country’s security and judicial sectors.  He was also Deputy Chief of Mission in Nouakchott, Mauritania, arriving five days before a coup d’etat in August 2005 and served as Charge d’Affaires, a.i. for a total of eight months during the two-year transitional period.  His other assignments include as Consular Section Chief in Damascus, Syria as well as posts in Washington, D.C., Marseille, France, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Mr. Koutsis, received a B.A. degree from Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts in 1979.  He is the recipient of the Department of Army Superior Civilian Service Award for his service in Iraq and has also had multiple awards from the Department of State.  He speaks French and Arabic.