Wikipedia

United States special envoy

United States special envoys[1] or special representatives are senior officials of the U.S. Department of State representing the federal government of the United States. In contrast to U.S. ambassadors who are assigned to lead a diplomatic mission overseas and are responsible for the United States' bilateral relations with a specific country, a special envoy is assigned a specific portfolio or broader issue.[2][3][4] These officials will typically report directly to the United States Secretary of State. On occasion, the President of the United States will appoint a special presidential envoy who would be a White House official, rather than a State Department official. Many special envoys do not require United States Senate confirmation.[5]

Many special envoy positions and offices are created and staffed by the direction of the President and the Secretary, whose political or organizational management philosophies may not be shared by their successors. As such, many of these positions may go unfilled upon assumption of office by successor presidential administrations, with their offices sometimes merged with or subsumed into other offices, or abolished altogether.[6][7]

History

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According to the Congressional Research Service, President George Washington set the precedent for making special, temporary diplomatic appointments in 1789 when he named Gouverneur Morris as a private agent to establish normal diplomatic relations with British officials.[8] As the United States grew as a global superpower, the number of these temporary special appointments grew, particularly in the 20th century and 21st century.[9]

List of current U.S. special envoys, representatives, coordinators, and advisors

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PositionOfficeholderAppointed
U.S. Senior Advisor for Africa Massad Boulos[10] April 1, 2025
U.S. Special Presential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values[2] Nick Adams March 17, 2026
U.S. Senior Official for APEC[2] Casey Mace August 7, 2025
Senior Advisor for AUKUS[2] Matthew Steinhelfer May 15, 2023
U.S. Special Envoy for Best Future Generations[11] Vacant since May 22, 2026
U.S. Special Representative for the Biological Weapons Convention Kenneth D. Ward[12] March 30, 2022
China Coordinator Joshua Young July 21, 2025
Senior Coordinator for Security Infrastructure Erin Smart July 8, 2024
Special Presidential Envoy for Global Partnerships Paolo Zampolli March 11, 2025
U.S. Special Envoy to Greenland[2] Jeff Landry December 22, 2025
U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Ellen Germain August 23, 2021
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs[13] Vacant since January 20, 2025
U.S. Special Envoy for Latin America[2] Mauricio Claver-Carone January 20, 2025
U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Yehuda Kaploun December 18, 2025[14]
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff May 6, 2025
U.S. Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas Kristi Noem March 24, 2026
U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg March 15, 2025
U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff July 3, 2025
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions[2] Richard Grenell[15] January 20, 2025
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack May 23, 2025[16]
Coordinator for U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia Kirsten Selinger (acting)[17] December 3, 2025
U.S. Special Envoy to the United Kingdom[18] Mark Burnett January 20, 2025

List of former positions

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "What is a special envoy?". The Economist. June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Special Envoys, Representatives and Coordinators". American Foreign Service Association. June 4, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ "Special Envoy". June 22, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  4. ↑ Peter Nicholas (January 18, 2025). "'A diplomatic mess': Trump's special envoys set to cause confusion". NBC News. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  5. ↑ Ryan Scoville (January 31, 2022). "An Important Development in the Law of Diplomatic Appointments". Lawfare. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  6. ↑ Robbie Gramer (June 1, 2021). "Are Special Envoys All That Special Anymore?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  7. ↑ Elise Labott, Nicole Gaouette, Jeremy Herb (August 29, 2017). "First on CNN: Tillerson moves to ditch special envoys". CNN. Retrieved July 7, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Henry M. Wriston (January 1, 1960). "The Special Envoy". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Cory R. Gill, Susan B. Epstein (September 15, 2017). "State Department Special Envoy, Representative, and Coordinator Positions: Background and Congressional Actions" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Announcement of Massad Boulos as Senior Advisor for Africa". U.S. Department of State. April 1, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Charles J. Harder". U.S. Department of State. May 22, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Kenneth D. Ward". U.S. Department of State. March 30, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Meeks Demands Answers from Rubio Over Official Status and Duties of Special Envoys". May 20, 2025. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun". U.S. Department of State. December 18, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Trump appoints longtime foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell to serve as special missions envoy". Associated Press. December 15, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  16. ↑ "US ambassador to Turkey will serve as special envoy to Syria". Reuters. May 23, 2025. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Kirsten Selinger". U.S. Department of State. December 3, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  18. ↑ Nahal Toosi (December 23, 2024). "Trump's many special envoys could mean some special headaches". Politico. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  19. ↑ "On the Transition of Tom West". U.S. Department of State. October 1, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  20. ↑ "For US diplomacy, special envoys make a comeback". Seattle Times. September 5, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Tillerson to Abolish Most Special Envoys, Including Climate". Voice of America. August 30, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Ambassador Jessye Lapenn". U.S. Department of State. November 29, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Departure of Assistant Secretary Monica Medina". U.S. Department of State. April 5, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  24. ↑ Krishnadev Calamur (August 30, 2017). "Why Keep State Department Special Envoys?". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  25. ↑ Billy Mitchell (January 5, 2023). "State Department establishes special envoy focused on diplomacy and emerging tech". Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Eileen Donahoe". U.S. Department of State. December 13, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Elizabeth Richard". U.S. Department of State. January 19, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  28. ↑ "About Us – Global Engagement Center". U.S. Department of State. December 23, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Michael Hammer". U.S. Department of State. November 15, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  30. ↑ Nahal Toosi (August 28, 2017). "Tillerson looking to eliminate dozens of special envoy posts". Politico. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  31. ↑ "United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Holly C. Holzer". U.S. Department of State. June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Special Envoy Ambassador Richard Norland announces his retirement". U.S. Department of State. May 5, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  34. ↑ "The Appointment of Lise Grande as Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues". U.S. Department of State. April 25, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Ambassador Julie Turner". U.S. Department of State. January 24, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Helaina R. Matza". U.S. Department of State. July 18, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  37. ↑ Aileen Torres-Bennett (October 31, 2017). "Tillerson Wants to Whittle Down Number of Special Envoys". Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  38. ↑ "On the End of Penny Pritzker's Term as U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery". U.S. Department of State. August 6, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Office of the Special Representative for Venezuela". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Gabriel Escobar". U.S. Department of State. May 31, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
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