Nomination of David H. Shinn To Be United States Ambassador to Burkina Faso

The President today announced his intention to nominate David H. Shinn, of Washington, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, as Ambassador to Burkina Faso. He succeeds Leonardo Neher.

Mr. Shinn worked summers while in college for the U.S. Forest Service at Naches Ranger Station, Naches, WA, 1958-1961. He then worked in the promotion department of the Washington Post in 1962. Mr. Shinn joined the Foreign Service in 1964 and first served as a junior officer trainee at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, 1964-1966. He took Swahili language training at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, DC, 1966-1967, before his assignment as political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, 1967-1968. In 1969 Mr. Shinn returned to the Department of State, first serving as Ethiopia-Somalia desk officer and then Uganda-Tanzania desk officer, 1969-1972. In 1972 he became political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he served until 1974, when he became deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania, until 1976. Mr. Shinn was then detailed to the mayor's office in Seattle, WA, for a year. From 1978 to 1981, he was Deputy Coordinator for the State and Local Government Liaison Office in the Department of State. Mr. Shinn then became deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon, 1981-1983, followed as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, 1983-1986. Since 1986 he has been a member of the Senior Seminar.

Mr. Shinn graduated from Yakima Valley College (A.A., 1960) and George Washington University (B.A., 1963; M.A., 1964; Ph.D., 1980). He was born June 9, 1940, in Yakima, WA. He is articulate in French and Swahili. Mr. Shinn is married, has two sons, and resides in Fairfax, VA.