Guest Speaker:
Mr Kevin Covert
Chargé d'affaires a.i., U.S. Mission in New Zealand
Event Date: Wednesday 26th February 2020
Event Time: 5:30 pm-7:00 pm
Event Location:
Bell Gully
Level 21, Wellington ANZ Centre, 171 Featherston Street, Wellington, 6011.
(Please note no building access after 6pm)
EVENT REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL AND BY INVITATION ONLY
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Kevin Covert has dedicated his 25-year government career to advancing U.S. foreign policy through development and diplomacy.
As Deputy Chief of Mission in New Zealand, he is responsible for the management, oversight, and policy coordination of U.S. Embassy Wellington, Consulate General Auckland, and the U.S. Antarctic Program in Christchurch.
Previously, he was Chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for 20 months, including during a tragic terrorist attack that killed two Americans in July 2018.
From 2014 to 2017, he was Deputy Economic Counselor in Seoul, managing a team of 20 staff to promote trade and investment with the United States’ sixth largest trading partner. Prior to that, Kevin served on the Russia Desk and as Director for Russia on the National Security Council, where he helped design sanctions on Russia following its illegal annexation of Crimea. In 2013, he was recognized by Senator Cardin in the Congressional Record for his advocacy of human rights as a political officer at U.S. Embassy Moscow.
Previously, Kevin was Deputy Political-Economic Chief at U.S. Embassy Astana (2008-11) and Director for Strategic and Performance Planning (2005-08), where he aligned State’s strategic planning systems with USAID. Prior to joining the Department of State, Kevin worked as a USAID contractor for more than a decade to help countries of the former Soviet Union privatize state-owned enterprises, develop capital markets, and attract foreign investment.
Kevin is an alumnus of Cornell University, Pembroke College (Oxford), and Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. He speaks Russian, Ukrainian, and French, and has studied Arabic, Kazakh, Korean, Tajik, and Maori.
Kevin and his wife Lesya are proud of their two adventurous sons: Timothy, an aspiring U.S. Marine, and Daniel, a future baseball star. He is a diehard and long-suffering Baltimore Orioles fan.
