press releases

New U.S. Ambassador Presents Credentials to President
of the Democratic Republic of Congo

November 29, 2007

KINSHASA - November 29. William J. Garvelink, American Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presented his credentials to Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo today, at the Presidential Palace. Ambassador Garvelink was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to the DRC in Washington on October 22, 2007.

From 2001 until his appointment as Ambassador, William Garvelink served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator in the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance.  His responsibilities included oversight of USAID’s worldwide humanitarian assistance and democracy programs.  From 1999 to 2001, he served as the USAID Mission Director in Eritrea. 

From 1988 to 1999 William Garvelink served in the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), first as the Assistant Director for Response and then as the Deputy Director.  While in OFDA, he conducted assessments and directed relief operations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Near East, Europe and in the former Soviet Union.  He led Disaster Assistance Response Teams to Albania, Armenia, D.R. Congo, Haiti, northern Iraq, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Bam, Iran.  He chaired the USAID Task Force for the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the USAID Task Force for the Pakistan Earthquake, and the USAID Lebanon Task Force.

Prior to his work in OFDA, Mr. Garvelink served for two years in the Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration with responsibilities for southern Africa.  He was posted for four years in Bolivia for USAID and served for three years as a staff member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  He is accompanied to Kinshasa by his wife, Linda Garvelink.

Under Ambassador Garvelink’s leadership, the American Embassy will remain committed to promoting democracy, peace and stability the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Great Lakes region in particular.  Ambassador Garvelink will continue to actively promote sustainable development in the D.R. Congo through U.S.-funded development projects across the country.