embassy events 2009

Ambassador-designate Lee Feinstein Confirmed by the U.S. Senate

23 September 2009

Lee Feinstein

On Tuesday, September 22, 2009, the United States Senate confirmed Lee A. Feinstein as the next U.S. Ambassador to Poland by unanimous consent. Mr. Feinstein will be the 25th U.S. Ambassador to Poland.On his confirmation, Madeleine Albright, the former Secretary of State said, “I worked closely with Lee Feinstein during my years in government and expect that he will make a superb ambassador to our close allies in Warsaw.  Ambassador Feinstein is deeply knowledgeable about European affairs, strongly committed to the Trans-Atlantic partnership, and highly-respected by leaders on both sides of the Atlantic." Lee A. Feinstein was nominated by President Obama on July 20 and appeared before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 15 for his confirmation hearing. The text of his testimony can be accessed here.  An international lawyer, Mr. Feinstein is an expert on national security, foreign policy, and international institutions. Mr. Feinstein is on leave from the Brookings Institution, where he has been a Visiting Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies. He was National Security Director to Hillary Rodham Clinton during her presidential campaign.

From 1994-2001, Mr. Feinstein held several positions in the U.S. Departments of Defense and State, including principal deputy director of policy planning under Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. He was previously Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Feinstein holds a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and an M.A. in political science from the City University of New York. Mr. Feinstein is married to Elaine Margaret Monaghan, a journalist. They have two children.

Upon his nomination on July 20, 2009, Ambassador Ashe congratulated Mr. Feinstein: “President Obama made an excellent choice in announcing his intent to nominate Lee Feinstein as the next U.S. Ambassador to Poland. I know the Embassy and Polish-American relations will be in good hands under his leadership."

On September 15, 2009, Mr. Feinstein appeared before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), alongside three other nominees: Alan D. Solomont (nominated to be the next Ambassador Spain and Andorra); Barry White (nominated to be the next Ambassador to Norway), and Jose Fernandez (nominated to be the next Assistant Secretary for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs).