Washington, DC — The President intends to nominate R. Barrie Walkley, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Gabonese Republic and to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe.

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Walkley currently serves as Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Guinea. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Prior to this position, Ambassador Walkley served as Public Affairs Officer in Islamabad, Pakistan and as Policy Officer in the United States Information Agency's Near Eastern Affairs Bureau.

He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara, his first master's degree from the University of California at Los Angeles, and his second master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.