Joseph W. Westphal Explained

Joseph Westphal
Office:United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
President:Barack Obama
Term Start:March 28, 2014
Term End:January 9, 2017
Predecessor:James B. Smith
Successor:John Abizaid
Office1:United States Under Secretary of the Army
President1:Barack Obama
Term Start1:September 21, 2009
Term End1:March 28, 2014
Predecessor1:Nelson Ford
Successor1:Brad Carson
Office2:Acting United States Secretary of the Army
President2:George W. Bush
Term Start2:March 5, 2001
Term End2:May 31, 2001
Predecessor2:Gregory R. Dahlberg (acting)
Successor2:Thomas E. White
Office3:Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works
President3:Bill Clinton
Term Start3:June 1998
Term End3:March 5, 2001
Predecessor3:Martin Lancaster
Successor3:Michael Parker
Birth Name:José Guillermo Westphal
Birth Date:26 January 1948
Birth Place:Santiago, Chile
Education:Adelphi University (BA)
University of Missouri, Columbia (MA, PhD)

Joseph William Westphal[1] (born January 26, 1948) is an American politician and diplomat who was most recently the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He served as the 30th United States Under Secretary of the Army from 2009 to 2014.

Early life and education

Westphal was born in Santiago, Chile.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Adelphi University in New York[3] in 1970, a Master of Arts degree from Oklahoma State University in 1973 and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Missouri in 1980.[1] [4]

Career

Westphal served as the head of the department of political science at Oklahoma State University between 1975 and 1987 and as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University while working at the law firm of Patton Boggs.[5] He served as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works from 1998 to 2001 and the Acting Secretary of the Army in 2001.[6] He also served as chancellor of the University of Maine System[2] from 2002 to 2006 and was a professor of political science at the University of Maine from 2002 to 2009.[7] He later served as the provost, at The New School in New York City.[8]

Westphal was a member of President Obama's Transition Team for Defense[9] and was appointed as the United States Under Secretary of the Army in September 2009. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as ambassador to Saudi Arabia on March 26, 2014, and sworn in the same day.[10] [11] Westphal is a senior global fellow and the Chung Sun Term Professor at the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies at the Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania. Westphal is also a senior fellow at the Wharton Leadership Program at UPenn and a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=DYaWxgEACAAJ&pg=PA178 . Hearings before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate . Biographical and Financial Information Requested of Nominees . 1999 . 4 . 178 . U.S. Government Printing Office . 9780160582790 . 2021-03-28.
  2. News: Heil. Emily. Senior Army official said to be in line for Saudi ambassadorship. The Washington Post. October 21, 2013. August 15, 2014.
  3. Web site: Cohen. Ruth-Ellen. An Army of One; New UMS chancellor already making mark on state education scene. The Bangor Daily News. October 19, 2002 . August 15, 2014.
  4. Web site: U.S. army undersecretary picked to be next Saudi envoy. The Peninsula Times. November 8, 2013. August 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160920100641/http://www.peninsulatimes.org/2013/11/08/u-s-army-undersecretary-picked-to-be-saudi-envoy/. September 20, 2016. dead.
  5. Web site: Cohen. Ruth-Ellen. Westphal selected for UMS top post; Ex-Army official unanimous choice. The Bangor Daily News. February 7, 2002. August 15, 2014.
  6. Book: William Gardner Bell. Secretaries of war and secretaries of the army: portr. & biograph. sketches. 1982. Government Printing Office. 978-0-16-087635-6. 172.
  7. News: Looking for needles in a federal haystack. The Washington Post. November 7, 2013. August 15, 2014.
  8. Web site: Santora. Marc. Foderaro. Lisa W.. New School Faculty Votes No Confidence in Kerrey. The New York Times. December 11, 2008. August 15, 2014.
  9. Web site: Knickmeyer. Ellen. U.S. Army undersecretary picked to be Saudi envoy.. WSJ. November 8, 2013. August 15, 2014.
  10. News: Obama and Biden have managed to get a few ambassador confirmations while on the road. The Washington Post. March 27, 2014. August 15, 2014.
  11. Web site: Joseph W. Westphal . Embassy of the United States, Riyadh Saudi Arabia . November 25, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150101075138/http://riyadh.usembassy.gov/about-us/ambassador.html . January 1, 2015 .