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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release May 13, 1996

THE PRESIDENT NAMES AMBASSADOR TO ERITREA

The President today announced the nomination of John F. Hicks, Sr. of Goldsboro, North Carolina, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, holding the rank of Career Minister, as Ambassador to Eritrea.

Mr. Hicks is a twenty-two year veteran of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since November of 1993, he has served as Assistant Administrator for the Agency, responsible for the Agency's programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Before assuming his present position, Mr. Hicks served in senior positions in Washington and held postings in Ethiopia, Zambia, Malawi, Liberia and the Sinai Peninsula.

Mr. Hicks joined USAID in 1973 as an international development intern. In the course of his career, he has been Program Officer in Zambia, Mission Director in Malawi and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa in Washington. He was selected as Assistant Administrator in 1993.

Mr. Hicks received the Agency's Senior Foreign Service Presidential Meritorious Service Award in 1989 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Award in 1993.

A native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, Mr. Hicks graduated with honors from Morehouse College in 1971 with a bachelors degree in political science. He holds a master's degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Hicks and his wife Jacqueline have two children; Jocelyn is a junior at Spelman College, and John, Jr. is a freshman at Florida A&M. They reside in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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