NAFSA: Association of International Educators have publicly championed President Obama’s announcement that he has nominated David T. Killion to be the next US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to be the next ambassador, on their website.

“The President has made an excellent choice in nominating David Killion as US Ambassador to UNESCO,” said NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Marlene M. Johnson. “David is a dedicated public servant and a skilled foreign-policy practitioner. This appointment speaks very well for the role that the US mission to UNESCO can play in supporting President Obama’s commitment to renewing America’s engagement in the world.”

Mr. Killion is a senior professional staff member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and is the Committee’s leading expert on international organisations and State Department operations — a position he has held under both Chairman Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and the late Chairman and former Ranking Member Tom Lantos (D-Calif.). Mr Killion has been a key player in shaping a renewed US relationship with UNESCO over the past several years, working continually with the organisation to refocus its mandate, streamline its operations and enable it to more effectively pursue its important mission.

In his tenure at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Killion has also had a leading role in advancing important international education and exchange initiatives to strengthen US foreign policy and public diplomacy. He was instrumental in helping to draft and shepherd through the House of Representatives a visionary piece of legislation, the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act, which will dramatically increase the number of US students studying abroad.

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