Heather M. Hodges
Encyclopedia
Heather M. Hodges is a career United States foreign service officer
and ambassador. She was the United States Ambassador to Ecuador
and a previous ambassador to Moldova
.
, USA. She has a B.A. in Spanish from the College of St. Catherine
, St. Paul, Minnesota, and an M.A. from New York University
. She lived and worked in Madrid
, Spain
, throughout the 1970s.
She was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador
on July 15, 2008, arrived in Ecuador in early August, and presented her credentials to President Rafael Correa on October 2, 2008. Prior to this appointment she was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Director General. She served as U.S. Ambassador to Moldova from September 2003 to May 2006.
Ambassador Hodges joined the Foreign Service in 1980 and was assigned to Caracas
, Venezuela
. Following Caracas, she served in Guatemala
and later in Washington as Peru Desk Officer. In 1987, Ms. Hodges received a Pearson Fellowship to work in the U.S. Congress, where she was counsel to the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Affairs. In January 1989, she became Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Bilbao, Spain. In 1991, she returned to Washington to serve as Deputy Director of the Office of Cuban Affairs.
In 1993, Ms. Hodges was assigned to Managua
, Nicaragua
, as Deputy Chief of Mission. From August 1996 to June 1997, Ms. Hodges participated in the Department of State's Senior Seminar, a leadership program for select members of the Foreign Service. She served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Lima, Peru, from July 1997 to May 2000 and was also Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain, from June 2000 to July 2003.
Before she left Spain, the Spanish government awarded Ms. Hodges the Spanish decoration of “Isabel la Catolica – Encomienda de Numero” for her contributions to Spanish-U.S. relations. Similarly, the Government of Moldova presented her with the Award of Honor in 2006, and the same year she was awarded a Presidential Meritorious Service Award.
On April 4, 2011, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Ms. Hodges had expressed concern over Ecuador’s National Police being corrupt via a cable dated July 10, 2009, which was exposed by Wikileaks
. She warned that their National Police Commander, Jaime Aquilino Hurtado, might be involved in illegal activity. According to the New York Times, this involved "his possible involvement in schemes to extort bribes from a taxi union, steal public funds and ease trafficking of undocumented Chinese immigrants." She also recommended the United States revoke Hurtado's visa. It was also noted that President Rafael Correa
may have known about Hurtado. On April 5, 2011, Ecuador expelled
Ms. Hodges from the country after she failed to give the Ecuadorian government a satisfactory explanation of accusations made public in the Wikileaks diplomatic cables.
Foreign Service Officer
A Foreign Service Officer is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic...
and ambassador. She was the United States Ambassador to Ecuador
United States Ambassador to Ecuador
The following is a list of Ambassadors of the United States, or other chiefs of mission, to Ecuador. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
and a previous ambassador to Moldova
United States Ambassador to Moldova
The United States Ambassador to Moldova is the official representative of the President of the United States to the head of state of Moldova.Until 1991, the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic had been a constituent SSR of the Soviet Union...
.
Biography
Hodges is a native of Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, USA. She has a B.A. in Spanish from the College of St. Catherine
College of St. Catherine
St. Catherine University is a private Catholic university for women located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. There is also a campus in Minneapolis. Enrollment is 5,246 students. With approximately 2,900 bachelor's students, it is the largest university for women in the United States. Its...
, St. Paul, Minnesota, and an M.A. from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. She lived and worked in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, throughout the 1970s.
She was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
on July 15, 2008, arrived in Ecuador in early August, and presented her credentials to President Rafael Correa on October 2, 2008. Prior to this appointment she was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Director General. She served as U.S. Ambassador to Moldova from September 2003 to May 2006.
Ambassador Hodges joined the Foreign Service in 1980 and was assigned to Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Following Caracas, she served in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and later in Washington as Peru Desk Officer. In 1987, Ms. Hodges received a Pearson Fellowship to work in the U.S. Congress, where she was counsel to the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Affairs. In January 1989, she became Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Bilbao, Spain. In 1991, she returned to Washington to serve as Deputy Director of the Office of Cuban Affairs.
In 1993, Ms. Hodges was assigned to Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, as Deputy Chief of Mission. From August 1996 to June 1997, Ms. Hodges participated in the Department of State's Senior Seminar, a leadership program for select members of the Foreign Service. She served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Lima, Peru, from July 1997 to May 2000 and was also Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain, from June 2000 to July 2003.
Before she left Spain, the Spanish government awarded Ms. Hodges the Spanish decoration of “Isabel la Catolica – Encomienda de Numero” for her contributions to Spanish-U.S. relations. Similarly, the Government of Moldova presented her with the Award of Honor in 2006, and the same year she was awarded a Presidential Meritorious Service Award.
On April 4, 2011, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Ms. Hodges had expressed concern over Ecuador’s National Police being corrupt via a cable dated July 10, 2009, which was exposed by Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
. She warned that their National Police Commander, Jaime Aquilino Hurtado, might be involved in illegal activity. According to the New York Times, this involved "his possible involvement in schemes to extort bribes from a taxi union, steal public funds and ease trafficking of undocumented Chinese immigrants." She also recommended the United States revoke Hurtado's visa. It was also noted that President Rafael Correa
Rafael Correa
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado born is the President of the Republic of Ecuador and was the president pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. An economist educated in Ecuador, Belgium and the United States, he was elected President in late 2006 and took office in January 2007...
may have known about Hurtado. On April 5, 2011, Ecuador expelled
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
Ms. Hodges from the country after she failed to give the Ecuadorian government a satisfactory explanation of accusations made public in the Wikileaks diplomatic cables.
Awards
- The Spanish governmentSpanish GovernmentSpain is a constitutional monarchy whose government is defined by the Constitution of Spain. This was approved by a general referendum of the people of Spain in 1978...
awarded Ms. Hodges the Spanish decoration of "Isabel la Catolica – Encomienda de Numero" for her contributions to Spain – United States relations.
- The Government of Moldova presented her with the Award of Honor in 2006, and the same year she was awarded a Presidential Meritorious Service Award.