jordan pulse -

White House announced nomination of James (Jim) Holtsnider as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States to Jordan, as part of a package of nominations sent to the Senate.

Holtsnider currently serves as principal deputy in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the State Department and is a career diplomat with the rank of counsellor.

He previously served as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Kuwait and held assignments in Iraq, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Somalia and Italy, in addition to senior positions in Washington, including in the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources, the Iran Affairs Office, and the Department’s Operations Center.

He received the Department of State’s Leamon R. Hunt Award for Administrative Excellence and the US Army’s Distinguished Civilian Service Medal.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Holtsnider served six years in the US Marine Corps. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Colorado and a master’s in public policy from Princeton University.