The Trump administration has nominated career diplomat Brent T. Christensen as the next U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh, the White House announced Tuesday. His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
Christensen, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of counselor, brings more than two decades of diplomatic experience to the role. He previously served as counselor for political and economic affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh from 2019 to 2021. Earlier in his career, he was the Bangladesh country officer in the Office of Pakistan and Bangladesh Affairs at the State Department.
His other assignments include deputy director of the Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers, Pearson fellow with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and postings in Manila, San Salvador, Riyadh and Ho Chi Minh City. He also served as special assistant to the special representative for North Korea policy and as cyber coordinator in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
He graduated from the National War College with a master’s degree in national security strategy. He also holds a master’s degree in statistics from Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s degree in economics and managerial studies from Rice University.
His nomination comes more than a year after former Ambassador Peter Haas completed his tenure in mid-2024, leaving the Dhaka mission under successive chargés d’affaires. Lisa Jacobson has served as the current chargé d’affaires since January.