A diplomat with 25 years of service at the State Department and in embassies around the world will assume the duties of head of the U.S. Embassy in Athens in the coming months, until the process of replacing Kimberly Gilfoyle—who was dismissed today—and appointing her successor gets underway.
According to reports, the practice will be followed of having the embassy’s No. 2 take over, as had happened during the interim period between the departure of the previous ambassador, George Tsounis, and the arrival of Kimberly Giffoyl. Josh Hack, according to the same sources, has essentially been “running” the embassy over the past 24 hours.
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An experienced diplomat with a career at the State Department and in embassies around the world, Hack is currently the deputy chief of mission.
In the past, Hack served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southern Europe and the Caucasus, as well as director of the Office of Southern European Affairs, with responsibility for Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Turkey.
Since joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 2001, he has served in Shanghai, Tokyo, Sofia, Rangoon, Taipei, and Hong Kong.
He has also held posts in Washington, D.C., including at the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Finally, according to his official biography, he served as chief of staff to Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Josh Hack is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University; holds a master’s degree from the International University of Japan and a certificate from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna. He speaks Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Burmese, and Bulgarian.
The process of selecting the new ambassador to lead the embassy in Athens will take several months. Congress has the final say, but given that the midterm elections are approaching—which are very likely to bring about a shift in the political balance—the confirmation may not take place until the first few months of 2027.
Source: Proto Thema
