Robert S. Ford
Counselor for Political Affairs, United States Embassy Baghdad, Iraq

Mr. Robert S. Ford has been the Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq since June 2004.

Mr. Ford grew up in Denver, Colorado. He earned his Bachelors' Degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and his Masters Degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service as an Economics Officer in 1985, Mr. Ford served in the Peace Corps in Morocco. Mr. Ford's assignments have included Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Cameroon, and Bahrain, where he served as the Deputy Chief of Mission.

Mr. Ford went from Bahrain to Iraq to open the CPA office in Najaf, where he served from August to December 2003. In June 2004, he returned to Iraq to standup the Political Section in the new American Embassy. Mr. Ford worked closely with Iraqi authorities in advance of the January 2005 elections, the establishment of the transition government, the writing of the new constitution, the October 2005 referendum and, finally, the December 2005 national elections.

His awards include three Superior Honor Awards, two Meritorious Honor Awards, and the State Department's 2005 James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence that recognizes leadership, intellectual skills, managerial ability, and personal qualities that most fully exemplify the standards of excellence desired of employees at the mid-career level. He speaks Arabic, French and German.

Mr. Ford and his wife Alison, who is also a Foreign Service Officer serving in Baghdad, make their home in Baltimore, Maryland.