| Office: | United States Ambassador to Ukraine Acting |
| President: | Donald Trump |
| Term Start: | May 21, 2019 |
| Term End: | May 28, 2019 |
| Predecessor: | Marie Yovanovitch (as Ambassador) |
| Successor: | Kristina Kvien (acting) |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Diplomat |
| Education: | University of Maryland, Baltimore County (BA) Columbia University (MA) |
Joseph S. Pennington is a former 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.[1] When Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was recalled in the spring of 2019, and incoming Deputy Chief of Mission Kristina Kvien not to arrive in Kyiv on May 28, Pennington continued to serve as chargé d'affaires and acting deputy chief through the transition period.[2] It has been reported that Pennington was one of two Embassy officials who were briefed on a meeting in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt pressure from the Trump Administration to investigate Hunter Biden.[3]
Pennington is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he earned a B.A. in political science, and from Columbia University where he earned an M.A. in political science.[4]