Deputy Chief of Mission Jeffrey M. Hovenier
Jeffrey M. Hovenier began his assignment as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey in August 2018. From August 2018 to July 2019 he served as Chargé d’Affaires. He came to Ankara after serving as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, he has also served at U.S. missions in Croatia, Greece, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru; at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); and on the staff of the UN Special Envoy for Kosovo Status.
His Washington assignments include service as Director for Central and Southeastern European Affairs at the National Security Council, and in the State Department’s European Bureau with responsibility for NATO and Central European Affairs.
Mr. Hovenier is a multiple recipient of State Department performance awards and holds government honors from the Republic of Kosovo. He grew up in Bellingham, Washington and holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. He speaks German and Spanish and has studied Greek and Croatian. He is married to Laura Williams Hovenier. They have four adult children.
Philip Kosnett – Former Chargé d’Affaires
Philip Kosnett began his assignment as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey in July 2016. He assumed the duties of Chargé d’Affaires in October 2017 upon the conclusion of Ambassador John Bass’ assignment in Turkey. Kosnett came to Ankara after serving as Director of the State Department’s Office of Southern European Affairs, responsible for U.S. relations with Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.
Much of Kosnett’s career has been focused on international security cooperation and political reconciliation. He has served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Uzbekistan and in Iceland; and in political, political-military, and economic-commercial positions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, The Netherlands, and Japan. He previously served in Ankara at the start of his diplomatic career, as a political and consular officer. Washington assignments include tours in the State Department’s European, Counterterrorism, Political-Military, and Intelligence & Research bureaus and the 24-hour Operations Center.
Kosnett is a multiple recipient of the State Department Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor Awards, and a recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service and the Department of the Army Medal for Outstanding Civilian Service. He has studied Turkish, Japanese, Dutch, and Russian. A 1982 graduate of Harvard, Kosnett worked as a game designer in New York and as a teacher in Japan prior to entering the Foreign Service. His wife Alison Kosnett is an international business and development consultant; son Alex an environmental planner; daughter Nicole a social media producer.
Lawrence (Larry) Mandel – Former Deputy Chief of Mission (July 2014-July 2016)
Lawrence (Larry) Mandel served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey between July 2014 and July 2016 .
Larry’s previous assignment was as Director, Office of Performance Evaluation, from October 2011 to September 2013. Previously he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. His other overseas assignments include as Counselor for Management Affairs at the U.S. Embassies in Jakarta, Tel Aviv and Budapest, Procurement Director in Tokyo, Consular Officer and Ambassador’s Aide in London and General Services Officer in St. Petersburg, Russia. He served on school boards in Budapest, Tel Aviv and Jakarta, helping to make new school campuses realities.
In Washington Larry served from 2003-05 as Director of the ICASS Service Center, responsible for an annual budget in excess of $1 billion and coordinating overseas operations with over 40 federal agencies. He has also served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Management, and as a Post Management Officer for posts in the Near East and South Asian regions. Other Washington assignments include the 24-hour Operations Center and the Office of the Legal Advisor.
Before joining the State Department in1984 Larry was an attorney in Massachusetts, and worked as a retail executive for a chain of stores in Chicago. He and his wife Judy have four children. Larry is the recipient of numerous State Department awards, and holds the rank of Minister Counselor.
Jess L. Baily – Former Deputy Chief of Mission (July 2011-July 2014)
Jess L. Baily assumed the position of Chargé d’Affaires ad Interim at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2014 and handed over his duties to Ross Wilson on September 8th, 2014. He had previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara from July 2011 to July 2014. Most recently, he served in the State Department as Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs where he managed bilateral relations with Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. This is his second assignment to Ankara, where he served as Cultural Affairs Officer and later as Embassy Spokesman from 1998 to 2002.
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, Mr. Baily joined the Foreign Service in 1985 and has served in public affairs positions in Bangladesh, Senegal, Thailand, and the Netherlands. From 2007 to 2008, he was in Erbil, Iraq as the senior U.S. government civilian representative in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In Washington, he directed the State Department’s Foreign Press Center from 2005-2007 and coordinated U.S. policy on political issues before the UN Security Council and UN General Assembly as Director of the Office of UN Political Affairs from 2008 to 2010.
A native of Cincinnati, Mr. Baily has BA from Yale University and MA in European History from Columbia University. He speaks French, Turkish and Thai. He is married and has one son.
Douglas A. Silliman – Former Deputy Chief of Mission (July 2008-July 2011)
Doug Silliman has served as Deputy Chief of Mission July 2008 and July 2011. He joined the Department of State in 1984 and is a career member of Senior Foreign Service.
Mr. Silliman has served as Director and Deputy Director of the State Department’s Office of Southern European Affairs, as Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, and as the Regional Officer for the Middle East in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. Mr. Silliman earlier served as a political officer in Islamabad, Pakistan, in the Office of Soviet Union Affairs, as Lebanon Desk officer, and as Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. He began his career as a visa officer in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and a political officer in Tunis, Tunisia.
Mr. Silliman received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science summa cum laude from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a Master of Arts in International Relations from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
He has received several awards from the Department of State, including the Secretary’s Award for Public Outreach in 2007. The American Foreign Service Association gave Mr. Silliman its Sinclaire Language Award in 1993 and the W. Averill Harriman Award for outstanding junior officer in 1988. Mr. Silliman speaks Turkish, Arabic and French. He is married and has two sons.
