Brian D. McFeeters

{{Infobox ambassador

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| name = Brian D. McFeeters

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| image = Ambassador Brian McFeeters Arrival photo.jpg

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| office = 21st United States Ambassador to Malaysia

| nominator = Donald Trump

| appointer = Joe Biden

| term_start = February 26, 2021

| term_end = August 24, 2023

| predecessor = Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir

| successor = Manu Bhalla (acting)
Edgard Kagan

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| nationality = American

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| education = University of Notre Dame (B.A., B.S.)
University of New Mexico (M.S.)
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (M.A.)

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Brian David McFeeters{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/112th-congress/1970 |title=PN1970 — Foreign Service |date=January 1, 2013 |website=U.S. Congress |access-date=February 27, 2021}} is an American diplomat who had served as the twenty-first United States Ambassador to Malaysia from February 26, 2021, to August 24, 2023.

Early life and education

McFeeters was raised in Rawlins, Wyoming. He was awarded Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science, both with honors, from the University of Notre Dame in 1983,{{cite book |url=http://www.archives.nd.edu/Commencement/1983-05-15_Commencement.pdf |title=1983 Commencement |date=May 13–15, 1983 |pages=37, 43 |publisher=The University of Notre Dame |access-date=February 27, 2021}} a Master of Science from the University of New Mexico in 1987, and a Master of Arts from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 1990.{{cite book |url=https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/36832/commencement1990.pdf |title=Conferring of Degrees at the Close of the 114th Academic Year |date=May 24, 1990 |page=64 |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University |access-date=February 27, 2021}}

After completing his undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame, McFeeters joined the United States Air Force and was assigned as a second lieutenant to the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in New Mexico.{{cite book |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA169781.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601063911/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA169781.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |title=Iodine Monofluoride Energy Transfer Studies |first=A.T. |last=Pritt |date=June 1986 |publisher=Air Force Weapons Laboratory |location=Kirtland Air Force Base |access-date=February 27, 2021}} While there, he completed his M.S. in Chemistry at the University of New Mexico with a thesis entitled The A-X emission spectrum of iodine monofluoride – Analyses of vibrational and rotational structure.{{cite web |url=https://www.afit.edu/bios/bio.cfm?facID=241&a=ms_advised |title=Dr. Paul J. Wolf: MS Thesis Advised |website=Air Force Institute of Technology |access-date=February 27, 2021}} McFeeters was the lead author on two 1989 technical articles related to advanced chemical laser research.{{cite journal |url=https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0013637378&origin=inward&txGid=9ea22c84c297064bd614492617819b40 |title=The A³Π(1) → X¹Σ(0⁺) emission spectrum of iodine monofluoride: Analyses of the vibrational and rotational structure |first1=B.D. |last1=McFeeters |first2=E.A. |last2=Walters |first3=P.J. |last3=Wolf |date=May 1989 |journal=Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy |volume=135 |issue=1 |pages=1–21 |doi=10.1016/0022-2852(89)90350-0 |bibcode=1989JMoSp.135....1M |access-date=February 27, 2021|url-access=subscription }}{{cite journal |url=https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-1842475722&origin=inward&txGid=fe126bc8abea19d5d8a897e4d91e5b75 |title=Long wavelength vibronic band analysis of the B³Π(0⁺)→X¹Σ⁺ transitions of ⁷⁹Br³⁵Cl and ⁸¹Br³⁵Cl |first1=B.D. |last1=McFeeters |first2=G.P. |last2=Perram |first3=R.P. |last3=Crannage |first4=E.A. |last4=Dorko |date=December 15, 1989 |journal=Chemical Physics |volume=139 |issue=2–3 |pages=347–357 |doi=10.1016/0301-0104(89)80147-8 |bibcode=1989CP....139..347M |access-date=February 27, 2021|url-access=subscription }} He retired from active duty as a captain.{{Cite web |title=Ambassador Brian D. McFeeters |url=https://my.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ |access-date=February 27, 2021 |website=U.S. Embassy in Malaysia |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330205348/https://my.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ |url-status=dead }}

McFeeters is also a Distinguished Graduate of the long-term economic training course of the Foreign Service Institute at the United States Department of State.{{Cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/mcfeeters-brian-d-malaysia-july-2020/|title=McFeeters, Brian D – Malaysia – August 2020}}

Diplomatic career

McFeeters is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. He started his State career by being a senior advisor in the Office of the Counselor to the Secretary of State. He was also the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs in Washington and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Additional assignments include serving as the Economic Minister Counselor of the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium and Economic Minister Counselor for U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. He also served as Political Counselor at Embassy Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and as Deputy Political Counselor and North Korea Watcher at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. Earlier, in Washington, he was the Deputy Director in the Office of Maritime Southeast Asia while at the State Department.

= United States Ambassador to Malaysia =

File:Ambassador Brian McFeeters courtasy call with Tun Mahathir (51696966166).jpg in 2021]]

On July 21, 2020, President Donald Trump sent his nomination to the Senate.{{Cite web|url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/seven-nominations-sent-senate-072120/|title=Seven Nominations Sent to the Senate – The White House|website=trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov}} On December 2, 2020, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.{{Cite web|url=https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/nominations-120220|title=Nominations | United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations|website=foreign.senate.gov}} On December 22, 2020, his nomination was reported out of committee and subsequently confirmed by the Senate by voice vote later that same day.{{Cite web |date=December 22, 2020 |title=PN2101 – Nomination of Brian D. McFeeters for Department of State, 116th Congress (2019–2020) |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/2101 |access-date=December 23, 2020 |website=congress.gov}} He started serving as ambassador on February 26, 2021.

Personal life

McFeeters speaks Malay, Indonesian, French, Spanish, and German. He has been awarded multiple awards including the Salzman Award for International Economic Performance.