Frank C. Urbancic, Jr.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of the United States of America to the Republic of Cyprus

Frank C. Urbancic, Jr. will present his credentials to Cypriot President Christofias on September 9, 2008, after confirmation of his nomination by the United States Senate on May 2, 2008, and administration of the oath of office on August 14, 2008.

Previously, Ambassador Urbancic served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy to the Coordinator in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism from 2005-2008.

As Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait from 2002-2004, Ambassador Urbancic coordinated U.S. priorities with the host government and managed the bilateral relationship to ensure access for U.S. and coalition forces into Iraq in 2003. He specialized in East European, Middle Eastern and African affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in 1990-1991 and 2004-2005, and served as Consul General in Istanbul, Turkey from 1998-2000.

Among his other assignments, Ambassador Urbancic served as Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassies in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Freetown (Sierra Leone), and Doha (Qatar). In addition, he has served in Consular and Political Affairs sections in Quebec City (Canada), Amman (Jordan), Tunis (Tunisia), and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). He was also Deputy Director of the Office of Egyptian Affairs in 1995.

Ambassador Urbancic holds an M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. (1993), an M.A. in Byzantine History from City College of New York (1978), and a B.A. in French Literature from New York University (1974). He was awarded the Department of State’s highest award for Deputy Chiefs of Mission (DCM) in 2003: the Baker-Wilkins Award as "DCM of the Year." He has received additional distinctions, including Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards.

Ambassador Urbancic is a Minister-Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service. He is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana and speaks French, Arabic and Turkish.

Released August 29, 2008