MANILA, Philippines – Following high-level US visits to Asia last week, US President Barack Obama has nominated an African-American career ambassador, Harry K. Thomas Jr., as Washington’s new envoy to the Philippines.

The 53-year-old Thomas, a 25-year veteran of the US foreign service, just recently took the post of director general of the service. He earlier served as ambassador to India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Peru and director of the State Department’s Operations Center. He was also special assistant to the secretary and executive secretary of the State Department.

Thomas’ nomination comes after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s two-day visit to the Philippines and Obama’s visit to Singapore last week as part of a four-nation Asia tour.

Obama also announced the nomination of a close political ally, David Adelman, a state senator in Georgia and a force behind the President’s record-breaking fund-raising in last year’s election, to be ambassador to
Singapore.

US ambassadors generally step down when a president leaves office. Obama is still filling positions more than a year after his election, with nominees subject to increasingly tough scrutiny.

Very broad background

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney received the news of Thomas’ appointment “with great pleasure,” describing him as “a personal friend of mine, an exceptional diplomat and a wonderful person.”

In an interview with ANC television, Kenney said she and Thomas had worked together for 15 years and that Obama was tapping someone with a very broad background to carry out US foreign policy goals in the Philippines.

“The Philippines is such a global nation. He [Obama] wants someone here to deal with issues that go around the world,” she said.

In a statement, Obama said Thomas and other White House nominees to various US diplomatic posts abroad “will represent our nation well and work to fulfill the important goal of strengthening our relationships abroad.”

He said he looked forward to “working with them in the coming months and years.”

Thomas’ nomination still has to be confirmed by the US Senate, “so I will have the opportunity to continue to collaborate with Filipinos to improve lives and strengthen relations between our two countries over the coming months,” she said.

Memorable experience

In a statement, Kenney said “working with so many Filipinos, from all walks of life, has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life”.

“I have come to deeply appreciate not just the warmth and friendship of Filipinos, but also their determination to make their country, region and world a better place for their children and grandchildren,” she said.

“It has been a true pleasure to live in this beautiful country and to lead the US Embassy in efforts to partner with the government and people of the Philippines for the greater good of Americans and Filipinos alike,” said the ambassador who has served here since 2006.

Kenney, the first female American ambassador to the Philippines said that “for personal and professional reasons, I need to plan my return to the US.”

Presidential spokesperson Gary Olivar yesterday said “we had an extremely good experience with the ambassador [Kenney].”

“She has been an extremely approachable ambassador, a tireless advocate of the Philippine case to the United States and of her country to our people, and a tireless friend to our people,” he said.

“We’re sorry that she is leaving, but we’re confident that her replacement will continue the tradition of cooperation and friendship between the two countries,” Olivar said.

Jesuit-trained

Thomas earned his bachelor’s degree at the Jesuit-run College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. After graduation, he worked as an urban planner in New York’s South Bronx for three years before joining the foreign service.

In an interview with his alma mater’s official magazine in 2007, Thomas said his heroes were Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to openly play in the major baseball leagues since the 1880s, and Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president.

Thomas was born in the Harlem section New York City and grew up in Queens. His wife, Ericka Ovette is a jazz singer. They have one daughter, Casey Merie.