Michael A. Hammer


Michael A. Hammer is a United States career diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Chile. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 6, 2014 and sworn in on March 7, 2014. He was nominated to be the next ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo by President Donald Trump on June 20, 2018 and confirmed by the Senate on September 6, 2018.

Education

Hammer grew up in Latin America, living in Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. He received a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and master's degrees from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the National War College at the National Defense University.

Career

Mike Hammer is a career member of the United States Senior Foreign Service. On June 21, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Hammer to be the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Chile. From 2012 to 2013, Hammer served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. He served as Acting Assistant Secretary from 2011 to 2012.
Immediately prior, Hammer served as Special Assistant to the President, Senior Director for Press and Communications, and Spokesman at the National Security Council at the White House from 2009 to 2011. He also previously served at the National Security Council as Deputy Spokesman and Director for Andean Affairs.
Hammer joined the Foreign Service in 1988 and has served abroad in Bolivia, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark. In Washington, he has served in the State Department’s Operations Center and as Special Assistant to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, where Hammer was responsible for Latin American affairs.

Personal life

Hammer is married with three children. He is fluent in Spanish, French, and Icelandic.