The US embassy in Doha’s deputy chief of mission Phillip Nelson has been named the chargé d’affaires, it was announced on Monday.

In this capacity, Nelson will represent the US government and lead the embassy in its diplomatic engagement with Qatar, according to a statement from the embassy.

Nelson, a senior career US diplomat with extensive experience in the region, has been a Foreign Service Officer since 1994. He assumed the position of deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Doha, Qatar, on August 13, 2018.

Nelson most recently served as the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Niger. Previous tours include Baghdad, Rabat, Kinshasa, Vienna, Chisinau, Libreville, and Montreal, as well as the Burundi Desk Officer.

An Economic Officer, Nelson completed the Foreign Service Institute’s nine-month Economic Course. Nelson speaks French, German, Norwegian, and Romanian, as well as limited fluency in Arabic, Russian, and Danish.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Nelson worked as a Financial Management Specialist at the US Department of State. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Pacific Lutheran University in German, Norwegian, and Global Studies.

He has a Master’s Degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) and a Master of Science Degree in European Studies from the London School of Economics.