Roger D. Pierce
Encyclopedia
Roger Dwayne Pierce is a United States diplomat
and a career foreign service officer
with the Department of State
. As of 2008, he is serving as the foreign policy
advisor with the U.S. Special Operations Command
. His previous assignment was the post of Ambassador to the Republic of Cape Verde
. He served in that post 2005–08.
Pierce is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service
, class of Minister Counselor. Pierce entered on duty in the Foreign Service in 1978. He has served abroad as consular officer in Mexico City
(Mexico), Santiago
(Chile), and as Chief of the Consular Section in Calcutta
(India), and Istanbul
(Turkey.) He served as Principal Officer in Amsterdam
(the Netherlands) and Consul General in Cairo
(Egypt). Pierce has held domestic assignments in the State Department’s Office of Caribbean Affairs, where he was the desk officer for the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago
, the Netherlands Antilles
, the Cayman Islands
, and the Turks and Caicos Islands
. He served also in the Office of Inspector General. Most recently, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa
(Honduras).
Pierce received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish language and Latin American Studies
from Davis and Elkins College
, Elkins, West Virginia, and a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Literature from the University of Maryland. In 1995, he graduated from the U.S. Army War College
in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Pierce is a graduate of the 44th Senior Seminar, the Department’s highest level leadership and management training program.
Pierce is currently serving as the Diplomat in Residence at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies
at the University of Denver
.
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and a career foreign service officer
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...
with the Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
. As of 2008, he is serving as the foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
advisor with the U.S. Special Operations Command
United States Special Operations Command
The United States Special Operations Command is the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Commands of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense...
. His previous assignment was the post of Ambassador to the Republic of Cape Verde
United States Ambassador to Cape Verde
Cape Verde had been a Portuguese colony for more than 500 years since 1456. in 1974 Portugal and the Cape Verdeans signed an agreement to form a transitional government, and Cape Verde gained full independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975....
. He served in that post 2005–08.
Pierce is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service
United 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...
, class of Minister Counselor. Pierce entered on duty in the Foreign Service in 1978. He has served abroad as consular officer in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
(Mexico), Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
(Chile), and as Chief of the Consular Section in Calcutta
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(India), and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(Turkey.) He served as Principal Officer in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
(the Netherlands) and Consul General in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
(Egypt). Pierce has held domestic assignments in the State Department’s Office of Caribbean Affairs, where he was the desk officer for the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
, the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
, and the Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...
. He served also in the Office of Inspector General. Most recently, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
(Honduras).
Pierce received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish language and Latin American Studies
Latin American Studies
Latin American studies is an academic discipline dealing with the study of Latin America and Latin Americans.-Definition:Latin American studies critically examines the history, culture, politics, and experiences of Latin Americans in Latin America and often also elsewhere .Latin American studies...
from Davis and Elkins College
Davis and Elkins College
Davis & Elkins College, also known as D&E, is a small residential liberal arts college located in Elkins, West Virginia, United States. The school was founded in 1904 and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. It was named for Henry G. Davis and his son-in-law Stephen B. Elkins who were both...
, Elkins, West Virginia, and a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Literature from the University of Maryland. In 1995, he graduated from the U.S. Army War College
U.S. Army War College
The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...
in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Pierce is a graduate of the 44th Senior Seminar, the Department’s highest level leadership and management training program.
Pierce is currently serving as the Diplomat in Residence at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies
Josef Korbel School of International Studies
The Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver is a professional school in international affairs offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral opportunities. It is a full member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs , a grouping of...
at the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
.