Deputy Chief of Mission
Thomas M. Countryman
Thomas Countryman, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, has been Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Athens since September 19, 2005.
Mr. Countryman began his State Department career in 1982, serving as a consular and political officer in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. From 1985 to 1988, he worked in the Department as Yugoslavia desk officer and Bulgaria/Albania desk officer. Following Arabic language training, he served as Political Officer at the American Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, from 1990 to 1993.
From 1994 to 1997, he was responsible for advising Ambassador Albright on Middle East affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and served as liaison with the UN Special Commission investigating Iraq’s weapons programs.
From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Countryman was Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council and served as the White House representative on Ambassador Dennis Ross' peace process team. In 1998-1999, he participated in the Senior Seminar, the federal government's most advanced professional development program for foreign affairs and national security officials. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Countryman was Director of the Office of South Central European Affairs and received a Superior Honor Award for his significant contribution to the democratic transformations in Croatia and Serbia. From 2001 to 2005, he was the Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the American Embassy in Rome, Italy, where he again earned a Superior Honor Award for his contributions to the Department’s public diplomacy goals. In 2005, while serving as Director of the Office of United Nations Political Affairs in Washington, he was named Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Athens. He assumed that post in September 2005.
Mr. Countryman graduated from Washington University in St. Louis (summa cum laude) with a degree in economics and political science, and studied at the Kennedy School of Government. His foreign languages are Serbo-Croatian, Arabic, Italian and German. He is a native of Tacoma, Washington.
He is married to Dubravka Trklja, an artist and educator. They have two sons.