John Connerley joins CPD following a one-year assignment as Senior Director for Interagency Rule of Law at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. During his 27-year career with the Foreign Service, John has served in Public Diplomacy positions as Counselor for Public Affairs in Caracas; Director of the Office of English Language Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in Washington, DC; Deputy Cultural Affairs Officer in Moscow; and Public Affairs Officer in Belize City.

He is the recipient of numerous citations, including three Superior Honor Awards. John has also taken political and consular assignments in Mexico, Portugal and Brazil. He is a member of the Senior Foreign Service with the current rank of Counselor.

Growing up in rural California, John credits the year he spent in Brazil as an American Field Service (AFS) high school exchange student for sparking his interest in international relations. He holds a BA in Political Science from San José State University, and a Masters in Humanities from California State University Dominguez Hills. Prior to entering the diplomatic corps, he taught Political Science and American Government at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California, and also worked as legislative assistant for foreign affairs in former-Congressman Norman Mineta’s (D-San Jose) Washington, DC office. John, together with his wife and their teenage son, continue to call California home.