John Negroponte Keynote Speaker

John Negroponte is an American diplomat. He is currently a research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University’s MacMillan Center. Prior to this appointment, he served as the United States Deputy Secretary of State and as the first ever Director of National Intelligence.

Negroponte served in the United States Foreign Service from 1960 to 1997. He was Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (1985-87) and Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (1987-89). From 1981 to 1996, he had tours of duty as United States ambassador in Honduras, Mexico, and the Philippines. After leaving the Foreign Service, he subsequently served in the Bush Administration as US permanent representative to the United Nations from 2001 to 2004, and was ambassador to Iraq from June 2004 to April 2005.

Ambassador Negroponte has twice received the State Department’s Distinguished Service Medal, one from Secretary of State Colin Powell and the other from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. On January 16, 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Ambassador Negroponte the National Security Medal for his outstanding contributions to US national security.