How to Become an Ambassador An American Foreign Service Odyssey

Tom Armbruster served as Ambassador to the Republic of the Marshall Islands from August 2012 to May 2016.?

Ambassador Armbruster is the only American diplomat to arrive in the (then) Soviet Union by kayak?and is a private pilot and scuba diver.? Prior to joining the Foreign Service Armbruster was a journalist with KGMB-TV, the Honolulu CBS affiliate. He has written for Chesapeake Bay Magazine, The Ambassadors Review, Inside A U.S. Embassy, Modern Diplomacy, State Magazine and The Foreign Service Journal.

Since leaving the Foreign Service, Ambassador Armbruster has worked as an international consultant and led State Department inspection teams to Colombia, Denmark, Chad, Mauritania, Nepal, and Bangladesh. He evaluates the Ambassadors executive direction and the execution of foreign policy. Overseas Foreign Service postings include Vladivostok, Russia; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; Moscow, Russia; Havana, Cuba and Helsinki, Finland.? Domestic assignments include Diplomat in Residence at City College in New York City and Polar Affairs Officer in Washington, DC. ?Armbruster?was the Chief U.S. Negotiator for an emergency response treaty with Russia and led trade and counternarcotics missions to Afghanistan.? He is fluent in Spanish and Russian.

Armbruster?was born in El Paso, Texas and lives in New York with his wife Kathy and dog Skipjack.? Tom and Kathy have two children, Bryan and Kalia, who grew up in the Foreign Service. Earth-friendly editor with a keen interest in politics, travel and education. Specialising in academic papers, culture and smiles. Robin specializes in literary fiction, non fiction, memoir, bios, history, and sexual, racial and cultural identity. Former PenguinUSA designer.