Ambassador Arnold Chacon Is New Diplomat In Residence At Duke

Arnold A. Chacon, the former U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala, is the new Diplomat in Residence at Duke University. 

Diplomats in Residence (DIRs) are career foreign service officers who provide guidance and advice to students, professionals and the community interested in careers in the U.S. Department of State. Each year, 16 Foreign Service Officers, covering 16 geographic regions within the U.S., serve in domestic assignments as DIRs. 

Before coming to Duke, Chacon was the director general of the Foreign Service and director of human resources from 2014-17, leading a team of 800 civil and foreign service employees who carry out the human resources activities essential to recruiting, retaining and sustaining the State Department’s 75,000-person workforce.

Chacon was the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala from 2011-14 and Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy Madrid from 2008-11. He’s also served at American embassies in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Italy, Mexico and Honduras as well as the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York.

He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Foreign Service Association and the Hispanic Employees Council of the Foreign Affairs Agencies, and was a fellow at the American Political Science Association. Chacon has received the State Department’s Presidential Rank Award and other leadership honors.

While at Duke, Chacon will promote careers and fellowship opportunities to prospects throughout the Mid-Atlantic region in order to create a pipeline of diverse competitive applicants for the Department of State. He will also represent the Department of State at programs and events sponsored by foreign affairs groups, academic institutions and professional organizations. Chacon will also speak to classes and is available to meet individually with students in his office.