Joseph Pennington


Joseph S. Pennington is an American diplomat who is a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor and is the Senior Advisor to the Ambassador on U.S. Assistance to Ukraine. When Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was recalled in the spring of 2019, and incoming Deputy Chief of Mission Kristina Kvien not to arrive in Kiev on May 28, Pennington continued to serve as chargé d'affaires and acting deputy chief through the transition period. It has been reported that Pennington was one of two Embassy officials who were briefed on a meeting in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he felt pressure from the Trump Administration to investigate Hunter Biden.

Biography

Pennington is a graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he earned a B.A. in political science and an M.A. from Columbia University.

Career highlights