Frank Almaguer, retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer, achieved the personal rank of Career Minister in the US Foreign Service and culminated his Foreign Service career as American ambassador to Honduras (1999-2002). Among his earlier postings are service as USAID Mission Director in Bolivia (1996-99), Eastern Europe (1991-93) and Ecuador (1986-1990). He also served as USAID’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Management and Director of Personnel (1993-96).

His Foreign Service career also included service as Director of the USAID Office of South American and Mexican Affairs (1983-86), Deputy Mission Director for USAID in Panama (1979-1983), Country Director for the U.S. Peace Corps/Honduras (1976-79), Associate Country Director for Peace Corps/Belize (1974-76) and service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Orange Walk, Belize (1967-69).
After retiring from the Foreign Service, Almaguer served the Organization of American States (OAS) as Secretary for Administration and Finance (third ranking and senior American executive position at the OAS) from February 2005 until December 2010. In that role, he directed the management operations and finances of the oldest multilateral organization in the Americas. Since 2010, Almaguer has continued to collaborate with the OAS as Chief of OAS Electoral Observation Missions in several Caribbean and Central American countries.

He also has continued to provide service to the U.S. foreign affairs agencies in a variety of ways: In 2004, Almaguer served as member of the U.S. delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission’s annual general assembly in Geneva. From 2012 to 2016, Almaguer was the American representative on the Standing Advisory Committee on Technical Cooperation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA/SAGTAC). In 2016, Secretary of State John Kerry appointed Ambassador Almaguer to serve a two-year term as a member of the U.S. Foreign Service Grievance Board (FSGB). Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reappointed him to this Board in Sep. 2018 for an additional two-year term.

Almaguer serves (since 2012) on the Board of Trustees of the Pan American Agricultural University (“Zamorano”), a leading academic institution based in Honduras with students from all of Latin America. He also continues to serve on the Pan-American Development Foundation’s Board of International Advisors. Ambassador Almaguer also served for four years (2012-16) on the Board of the USAID Alumni Association. In addition, Almaguer is a member of the Inter-American Dialogue, The American Academy of Diplomacy, the National Peace Corps Association, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and DACOR (an association of American foreign affairs professionals).

Throughout his career, Almaguer has received significant recognition of outstanding service, including Presidential Meritorious Awards in 1999 and 1988, a State Department Superior Honor Award in 1999, a USAID Special Act Award in 1992, the USAID Distinguished Service Award in 1989 and a Meritorious Award in 1979 from the Peace Corps. In 1996, the American University honored his management accomplishments by awarding him the Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership in the Public Sector. In 2002, Ambassador Almaguer received USAID’s highest honor: the Distinguished Career Service Award. The Governments of Ecuador, Bolivia and Honduras also have decorated him for his service in those countries. His nomination to serve on the Foreign Service Grievance Board (2016) and invitation to join the American Academy of Diplomacy (2017) are both significant honors reflecting high-level confidence in Almaguer’s integrity, knowledge and commitment to service on behalf of the American foreign policy community.

Ambassador Almaguer was born in Cuba and grew up in Florida. He has native fluency in Spanish. Almaguer graduated from the George Washington University with an MS in Government Administration and obtained his BA in Political Science from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Antoinette, have two grown children and four grandchildren. They reside in Vienna, VA.