Offices and Departments

Executive Section

The Ambassador, or Chief of Mission, is the highest ranking American official in Rwanda. The full title is "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary." Extraordinary means that the Ambassador is the personal representative of the President of the United States in Rwanda. Plenipotentiary indicates full power to negotiate. The Ambassador is responsible for the various sections of the Embassy as well as for the activities of all U.S. executive departments and agencies with representatives in Rwanda.

Second to the Ambassador is the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM). The day-to-day management of the Embassy is the DCM's responsibility, as is a share of the high-level representational entertaining, negotiation, appraisal and reporting on Rwandan-American relations and issues. In the Ambassador's absence, the DCM becomes Chargé d'Affaires, thereby assuming all the Ambassador's functions and responsibilities.