Donald Lu
Encyclopedia
Donald Lu is a United States
diplomat. He currently serves as the Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in New Delhi
, India
.
. He graduated from Princeton University
with Bachelor of Arts and Master's degrees in International relations
. Lu was a Peace Corps
volunteer in Sierra Leone
, West Africa
in 1988-1990 helping restore hand-dug water wells, and teach health education and latrine construction.
in 1990 and held posts in Pakistan
, India
, Georgia
, Kyrgyzstan
, Azerbaijan
and Washington
. Before he was appointed the Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, he served as the Chargé d'affaires
and Deputy Chief of Mission for United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan
from July 4, 2009 through July 2010, when the office of the Ambassador to Azerbaijan had not been filled yet. He was one of proponents of immediate appointment of US Ambassador to Azerbaijan. In May 2010, the current Ambassador Matthew Bryza
was already nominated to take the post and Lu was assigned to India in July 2010. The new post in New Delhi is Lu's second assignment to India. He had previously worked as staff assistant to Ambassador Frank Wisner and as the political officer covering Kashmir
and India-Pakistan relations in late 1990s.
Lu speaks West African Krio
, Urdu
, Hindi
, Russian
, Georgian
and Azerbaijani
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat. He currently serves as the Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Early life
Lu was born in Huntington Beach, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He graduated from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
with Bachelor of Arts and Master's degrees in International relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
. Lu was a Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
volunteer in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
in 1988-1990 helping restore hand-dug water wells, and teach health education and latrine construction.
Political career
Lu joined the United States Foreign ServiceUnited States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
in 1990 and held posts in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Before he was appointed the Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, he served as the Chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
and Deputy Chief of Mission for United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan
United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Azerbaijan.The United States recognized Azerbaijan's independence on Dec 25, 1991, and announced the establishment of diplomatic relations on February 19, 1992....
from July 4, 2009 through July 2010, when the office of the Ambassador to Azerbaijan had not been filled yet. He was one of proponents of immediate appointment of US Ambassador to Azerbaijan. In May 2010, the current Ambassador Matthew Bryza
Matthew Bryza
Matthew James Bryza is a United States diplomat. Currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan.-Education:...
was already nominated to take the post and Lu was assigned to India in July 2010. The new post in New Delhi is Lu's second assignment to India. He had previously worked as staff assistant to Ambassador Frank Wisner and as the political officer covering Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
and India-Pakistan relations in late 1990s.
Personal life
He is married to Dr. Ariel Ahart, a distinguished public health specialist in the United States. The couple has two children, Kipling and Aliya at ages 8 and 5, respectively.Lu speaks West African Krio
Krio language
Sierra Leone Krio is the lingua franca and the de facto national language spoken throughout the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Krio is spoken by 97% of Sierra Leone's population and unites the different ethnic groups in the country, especially in their trade and social interaction with each...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Georgian
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
and Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
.