Ambassador

Ambassador's Bio

Ambassador William J. Garvelink (Enlarge)

William John Garvelink
U.S. Ambassador to the
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ambassador William J. Garvelink was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on October 22, 2007.

Born in Michigan, Ambassador Garvelink received a B.A. degree from Calvin College, and an M.A. degree from the University of Minnesota.  He also attended the University of North Carolina for post graduate studies.

Before joining the Agency for International Development (AID) in 1979, Ambassador Garvelink was a professional staff member of the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Committee on Foreign Affairs, of the U.S. House of Representatives.  During his AID career he served as the management auditor in the Office of the Inspector General; was assistant coordinator for African assistance; assistant program officer and the deputy program officer in Bolivia; deputy director of the Office of African Refugee Affairs; assistant director for disaster response; deputy director, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance; mission director of USAID/Eritrea; and Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance.

Ambassador Garvelink has received six Performance Awards, two Meritorious Honor Awards, a Superior Honor Award, and a Senior Foreign Service Presidential Meritorious Service Award.

He has written extensively; published works include:  "Humanitarian Assistance Intervention in Complex Emergencies: Information Requirements in the 1990s," in After Rwanda: The Coordination of United Nations Humanitarian Assistance, edited by Jim Whitman and David Pocock, St. Martin's Press, Inc., 1996; "Complex Emergencies in Africa in the 1990s: The Role of Technology," in Meeting the Challenge of International Peace Operations: Assessing the Contribution of Technology, edited by Alex Gliksman (proceedings of a conference sponsored by the Center for Global Security Research, June 1998 and held in Livermore, California September 9-10, 1996); and "Special Report: United States Response to the Earthquake in Bam, Iran," in The Liaison (Journal of Civil-Military Humanitarian Relief Collaboration), Volume 3, Number 2, 2004.

Ambassador Garvelink is married to Linda A. Garvelink, a banking industry specialist.