Chris Hill '74, the lead negotiator with North Korea under the Bush administration, is expected to be named the next U.S. Ambassador to Iraq by President Obama, ABC News first reported on Monday.
Members of Obama's internal administrative staff stated that Hill, a career foreign service officer, is the top candidate to replace the current representative in Iraq, Ryan Crocker.
After graduating from Bowdoin with a major in economics, Hill went on to join the Peace Corps. He joined the State Department in 1977 and served in a number of locations, including Poland, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Cameroon.
Hill was among the American diplomats who negotiated the Bosnia peace settlement in 1995, and he was named Head of the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis in 2005.
As Ambassador of the United States to South Korea from 2004 to 2005 and as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs since April 2005, Hill has been regarded for his diplomatic work. However, he has little expertise in Middle East affairs.
Hill did not respond to an e-mail request for comment.