James F. Entwistle’s first chance to be a U.S. ambassador, after a career in the Foreign Service, has brought him to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a nation with a long history of exploitation, violence and repression and no shortage of troubles. He presented his credentials in the DRC on November 4, 2010.
The son of Air Force Colonel Oliver Entwistle and Barbara Entwistle, James Entwistle graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina before joining the
State Department in 1981.
His earlier overseas assignments took him to
Cameroon,
Malaysia (political counselor, 2001-2003) and Niger. In Washington, he previously served as a desk officer for
Kenya and Uganda in the Bureau of African Affairs.
During Entwistle’s rise through the ranks he served as deputy chief of mission for the U.S. embassies in
Central African Republic (1993-1995) and
Sri Lanka (2003-2005).
At the embassy in Bangkok,
Thailand, he headed the Refugee Assistance Unit, before taking over as the deputy chief of mission (2007-2010).
Entwistle and his wife, Pamela Schmoll, have two children, Jennifer and Jeffrey.