Frank Urbancic Jr.

Obituary coming soon... Frank C. Urbancic, Jr. presented his credentials to Cypriot President Christofias on September 9, 2008, after confirmation of his nomination by the United States Senate on May 2, 2008, and administration of the oath of office on August 14, 2008. Previously, Ambassador Urbancic served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy to the Coordinator in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. As such, he was responsible for managing and overseeing all aspects of counterterrorism activities. He has dealt with terrorism and its roots throughout his career. As Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait from 2002-2004, Ambassador Urbancic coordinated U.S. priorities with the host government and managed the bilateral relationship to ensure access for U.S. and coalition forces into Iraq in 2003. Having specialized in East European, Middle Eastern and African affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in 1990-1991 and 2004-2005, he also has extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy. As U.S. Consul General in Istanbul, Turkey, Ambassador Urbancic administered the multi-million dollar assistance program to that country when it suffered one of the worst earthquakes of the twentieth century in 1999. Among his other assignments, Ambassador Urbancic served as Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassies in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Freetown (Sierra Leone), and Doha (Qatar). In Freetown, he developed and implemented policy to map a new course for U.S. relations with the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) after the coup in 1992, while, at the same time, managing the evacuation of U.S. citizens. In addition, he has served in Consular and Political Affairs sections in Quebec City (Canada), Amman (Jordan), Tunis (Tunisia), and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). He was also Deputy Director of the Office of Egyptian Affairs in 1995. Ambassador Urbancic holds an M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. (1993), an M.A. in Byzantine History from City College of New York (1978), and a B.A. in French Literature from New York University (1974). He received a Presidential Distinguished Service Award in 2006, and the Department of State's highest acknowledgement for Deputy Chiefs of Mission in 2003: the Baker-Wilkins Award as "DCM of the Year." He holds numerous additional distinctions, including Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards. Ambassador Urbancic is a Minister-Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service. He entered the Foreign Service in 1983. A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, he speaks French, Arabic and Turkish, with additional studies in Greek.