Ambassador Canavan entered the Foreign Service in 1976, after serving nearly three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition to several Washington tours in the State Department, her other overseas assignments have included Kingston, Jamaica, and Tijuana, Mexico. She was selected for senior training at the National War College (Class of '93).
Congo Kinshasa RPCV Katherine H. Canavan is the Civilian Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor, United States European Command
Ambassador Katherine H. Canavan
Civilian Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor
Katherine H. Canavan is the Civilian Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor, United States European Command. She is a member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister.
Prior to assuming her present duties, she was U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana, and simultaneously served as the Secretary of State's Special Representative to the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Ambassador Canavan served in Washington as the Director of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) from 2001 until 2005. Prior to this, Ambassador Canavan completed a three-year appointment as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho.
From 1996 to 1998, prior to receiving her first Ambassadorial appointment, Ambassador Canavan was the Managing Director of Overseas Citizen Services (OCS) in the Bureau of Consular Affairs. Her tour in OCS followed three years in Windhoek, Namibia, as the Deputy Chief of Mission.
Ambassador Canavan entered the Foreign Service in 1976, after serving nearly three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition to several Washington tours in the State Department, her other overseas assignments have included Kingston, Jamaica, and Tijuana, Mexico. She was selected for senior training at the National War College (Class of '93).
Throughout her career, Ambassador Canavan has received numerous awards, including a Presidential Rank Award in 2003, Senior Performance Pay, Superior Honor Awards, and Meritorious Honor Awards.
Ambassador Canavan was born and grew up in Southern California, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She speaks French. She is married to U.S. Army Lt. General (ret.) Michael A. Canavan.
