Department of State Chair Ambassador
Daniel L. Foote joined the MCWAR faculty in 2020, after serving as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Zambia from 2017 – 2020. At the time of his ambassadorial appointment, Mr. Foote was the Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the Department of State, where he had served as Deputy Assistant Secretary since 2015. Known for his leadership acumen, judgment and communication skills, he has held diverse senior foreign policy positions. His diplomatic experience and demonstrated interagency leadership have been honed directing several of the United States government’s largest overseas programs in some of the world’s most challenging, high-threat environments.
career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, Mr. Foote has served as Coordinating Director, Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, and Deputy Chief of Mission at both Embassy Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was Narcotics Affairs Counselor in Bogota, Colombia; Team Leader, U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team to Maysan Province, Iraq; Management Counselor in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Management Officer, U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team to Erbil Province, Iraq. Other overseas diplomatic postings include Luxembourg, London, and Guadalajara. In Washington, he served in the Operations Center and the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
Mr. Foote earned a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University in the City of New York, where he played varsity football and track & field. After graduation, he worked as a natural gas trader/broker for several years. Before joining the Foreign Service, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia and a Spanish teacher and football coach in California.