Ambassador Donald Yamamoto

Donald Yamamoto served as U.S. Ambassador to Somalia between 2018 to 2021, reestablishing the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, after 27 years.  He served as Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, Senior Vice President at the National Defense University, with tours in Afghanistan as well as United States Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, and Head of Mission to Somalia, Guinea, and Eritrea.  Noteworthy was his tour as Human Rights Officer during the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy crackdown in Beijing in 1989. 

Mr. Yamamoto earned an A.B. and M.A from Columbia University and a M.S. from the National War College.  He is the recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service and Distinguished Honor Awards, Secretary of State Distinguished Honor Award, the Robert Frasure Memorial Award for conflict resolution, and, from the U.S. Military, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Distinguished Civilian Award and the National Defense University Distinguished Graduate Award.