Press Release - President Biden Announces Key Nominees

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as key leaders in his administration:

• Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Gabonese Republic
• William W. Popp, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Uganda

Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Gabonese Republic
Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Counselor, currently serves as Office Director for the Office of Assistance to Africa in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, FitzPatrick served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon and before that, as Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Central African Affairs in the Bureau of African Affairs at the Department of State. She also served as Deputy Director for the Office of West African Affairs in the Bureau of African Affairs. Earlier, FitzPatrick served as Ethiopia Desk Officer in the Office of East African Affairs and held positions as the Political Section Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana and as Political Officer at U.S. Embassy Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. FitzPatrick earned her Bachelor's from Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina and her Master's from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her languages include French and Spanish.

William W. Popp, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Uganda
William Popp, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Guatemala. Previously, Popp was the Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'affaires, ad interim, from November 2018 until March 2020 of the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil. Before that, he served first as the Political Counselor and then as the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Earlier, Popp was the Director of the Office of Regional Economic Policy and Summit Coordination in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the State Department. Prior to this, he was the Deputy Principal Officer and later Acting Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Among his other assignments, he held positions in the U.S. Embassies in Colombia, Angola, and Nicaragua. Popp earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Westminster College, his Master of Arts degree at George Washington University, and his Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy at the National War College. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese.