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Mark Brzezinski

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Mark Brzezinski
Official portrait, 2022
United States Ambassador to Poland
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 22, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byGeorgette Mosbacher
United States Ambassador to Sweden
In office
November 24, 2011 – July 1, 2015
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byMatthew Barzun
Succeeded byAzita Raji
Personal details
Born
Mark Francis Brzezinski

(1965-04-07) April 7, 1965 (age 59)
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Carolyn M. Campbell (div.)
Natalia Brzezinski (div.)
Parent(s)Zbigniew Brzezinski
Emilie Benes Brzezinski
RelativesIan Brzezinski (brother)
Mika Brzezinski (sister)
Matthew Brzezinski (cousin)
Alma materDartmouth College (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)
St Antony's College, Oxford (DPhil)
AwardsOfficer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, Order of the Polar Star, Commander 1st Class

Mark Francis Brzezinski (born April 7, 1965) is an American lawyer serving as the United States Ambassador to Poland since 2022. He previously served as the United States Ambassador to Sweden from 2011 to 2015 under President Barack Obama.

The son of Zbigniew Brzezinski,[1] former US National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter, Brzezinski attended Dartmouth College, the University of Virginia Law School, and St. Antony's College, Oxford.[2]

Early life and education

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Brzezinski is the son of Emilie Benes Brzezinski and Polish-born former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, and the grandson of Polish diplomat Tadeusz Brzeziński. His mother is the grandniece of former Czechoslovak president Edvard Beneš. His sister is Mika Brzezinski, co-host of the morning talk show Morning Joe, and his brother is military expert Ian Brzezinski. He is also first cousin of author Matthew Brzezinski.[citation needed]

Brzezinski graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in government, earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia Law School, and holds a Doctor of Philosophy in political science from Oxford University. He also earned a Fulbright Scholarship to study the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland.[3]

Career

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Ambassador Brzezinski (left) and his then wife Natalia Brzezinski (right) with Swedish opera singer Malena Ernman (center)

Brzezinski was a corporate and securities associate at Hogan & Hartson LLP in Washington, D.C. from 1996-1999. From 1999-2001, Brzezinski served in the Clinton administration as a director of Russian/Eurasian affairs and director of Southeast European affairs of the National Security Council at the White House. In that capacity, he was White House coordinator for U.S. democracy and rule of law assistance programs for the region.

Brzezinski was a foreign policy advisor to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama,[4] and was later appointed Ambassador to Sweden by Obama.[5]

Ambassador to Poland

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Brzezinski greets U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rzeszów, Poland on March 5, 2022

On May 26, 2021, The New York Times reported that President Joe Biden was considering nominating Brzezinski to be the United States Ambassador to Poland.[6] Brzezinski was officially nominated on August 4.[7] On August 9, 2021, his nomination was sent to the Senate.[8] Hearings on his nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on December 1, 2021. His nomination was favorably reported by the committee on December 15, 2021, and was confirmed by the Senate on December 18, 2021 by voice vote.[9]

Brzezinski was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to Poland on January 19, 2022 by Vice President Kamala Harris.[10] He presented his credentials to President Andrzej Duda on February 22, 2022.[11][12]

Awards

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In 2007 President of Poland Lech Kaczyński decorated him with Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. The order was awarded "for outstanding contributions to the development of Polish-American relations and for promoting a positive image of Poland in the world".[13]

In 2018, he received the Order of the Polar Star, Commander 1st Class.[14]

Personal life

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He is currently divorced.[15] His first wife was Carolyn M. Campbell, a lawyer.[16] His second wife, from 2008 until 2022, was Natalia Brzezinski, née Lopatniuk.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Biden taps Brzezinski son as Poland ambassador amid reported row". France 24. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  2. ^ reichardr. "Ambassador Mark Brzezinski". U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Poland. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  3. ^ "Mark Brzezinski Former United States Ambassador To Sweden". NDI. National Democratic Institute. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  4. ^ "The Talent Primary". Newsweek.com. 15 September 2007.
  5. ^ Pete Kasperowicz (October 18, 2011). "Seven ambassadors confirmed by Senate". The Hill. The Hill's Floor Action Blog.
  6. ^ Karni, Annie (27 May 2021). "Biden is said to be planning to nominate Burns and Garcetti for ambassadorships". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "Biden nominates Mark Brzezinski as US ambassador to Poland". AP NEWS. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  8. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. August 9, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ "PN1004 — Mark Brzezinski — Department of State 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Vice President Harris Ceremonially Swears In Mark Brzezinski as Ambassador to Poland". The White House on YouTube. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  11. ^ Potocka, Joanna. "Mark Brzezinski już w Polsce. To nowy ambasador Stanów Zjednoczonych". RMF 24. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Ambassador Mark Brzezinski's Credentialing Ceremony". U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Poland. 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  13. ^ "Postanowienie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 14 marca 2007 r. o nadaniu orderów". isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  14. ^ "Council of American Ambassadors". Council of American Ambassadors. 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  15. ^ Viva! (April 5, 2023), "We met for the first time after 20 years, we found that the chemistry is still ongoing." The love story of Mark Brzezinski and Olga Leonowicz. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  16. ^ "Carolyn M. Campbell Is to Marry Mark Brzezinski, a Fellow Lawyer". The New York Times. December 22, 1991. p. 55.
  17. ^ Steve Clemons (September 6, 2008), Congratulations Natalia Lopatniuk & Mark Brzezinski. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Sweden
2011–2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Poland
2022–present 		Incumbent
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