Kathmandu (Pahichan) May 27 – US Prsident Donald Trump has nominated Randy W Berry as a new Ambassador to Nepal. However, it will take time to formalize the decision by senate. Berry is gay. He has previously served as Consul General in Amsterdam, and has also had postings for the State Department in Bangladesh, Egypt, Uganda, South Africa, and Washington DC.

Trump has nominated Alaina B. Teplitz, the current US Ambassador to Nepal, for the position of Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Teplitz would replace current Ambassador Atul Keshap. Teplitz is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, and has held positions in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Teplitz has served as the Ambassador to Nepal since August 2015. Her confirmation now lies with the US Senate, a process that could take months.

Randy Berry is a career Senior Foreign Service Officer with 25 years of experience as a diplomat. He currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Previously, he served as the State Department’s Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons (2015-2017).

Berry has served twice as United States Consul General/Principal Officer, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2012-2015) and Auckland, New Zealand (2009-2012). He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal (2007-2009).

Mr. Berry’s early career with the State Department has also taken him to postings in Bangladesh (1993-1995), Egypt (1996-1998), Uganda (1998-2002), and South Africa (2003-2007), as well as Washington, DC (2002-2003). Mr. Berry holds multiple State Department Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards and Senior Performance Awards. He speaks Spanish and Arabic.

Berry is a graduate of Bethany College of Lindsborg, Kansas, and was a Rotary Graduate Scholar at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.