By: H. Richard Fallah
WASHINGTON – U.S President Joe Biden has replaced Ambassador Michael McCarthy with Mark Christopher Toner as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Liberia.
A statement from Washington, dated March 27, 2023, says; “Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as key leaders in his administration.”
Mark Christopher Toner, is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, and currently serves as the Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France.
Previously, Toner was a Senior Advisor at the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and a Senior Faculty Advisor at the National Defense University.
Earlier, Toner held positions as the State Department’s Deputy Spokesperson, Acting Spokesperson, and as a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of European Affairs.
He has also served as the Director of Press Operations in the Bureau of Public Affairs and Director of Press and Public Affairs in the Bureau of European Affairs.
Toner was also Spokesperson at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium. Prior to joining the State Department, Toner served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia, West Africa.
He earned his Bachelor’s from the University of Notre Dame and his Master’s from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C. He speaks French and Polish.
President Biden New Nominee, (Toner) if confirmed by the U.S Congress will replace
current U.S Ambassador accredited near Monrovia, Michael A. McCarthy.
On May 27, 2020, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate McCarthy to be the next United States Ambassador to Liberia. On June 2, 2020, his nomination was sent to the Senate. On November 18, 2020, his nomination was confirmed in the United States Senate by voice vote.
January 6, 2021, McCarthy arrived in Liberia and presented his credentials to President George Weah on January 22, 2021.
Before taking assignment in Liberia, Ambassador McCarthy was a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor.
He previously served as Consul General of the U.S. Consulate General, Johannesburg, South Africa. He has also served as the Director of the Office of Retirement in the Bureau of Human Resources in the State Department and the Deputy Chief of Mission for Embassy Juba in South Sudan.
McCarthy received his B.S. from Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana in 1982. He is the recipient of multiple State Department performance awards. He speaks French, Spanish, and Thai. He has two daughters from a previous marriage and a stepson and stepdaughter with his wife Sandra A. McCarthy.
Ambassador McCarthy is being recalled at a very crucial time when Liberia is expected to observe a very critical Presidential and Legislative Election.
The outgoing U.S Ambassador will be missed by many Liberians particularly those who believe that he is a tough talker, for his vocal voice in major happenings while in Liberia.
During his stay in Liberia, he encouraged Liberians and sensitized electorate on prioritizing their country above self interest as they move towards the October 10 presidential and legislative elections.
Recently, during a roundtable discussion with State Department’s Global Anti-Corruption Coordinator Richard Nephew and USAID’s Anti-Corruption Task Force Executive Director Shannon Green on March 14, 2023, Ambassador McCarthy condemned violence in the country, particularly, at the University of Liberia Capitol Hill campus, which left several persons injured and normal learning activities disrupted.
In his statement the U.S. outgoing diplomat said that violence of any kind has no place in a democratic society.
He said violence does nothing but undercuts one`s own credibility and will only take a country backwards.
Ambassador McCarthy said that Disagreements and competing visions for the country should be solved through peaceful debate and at the ballot box, not on the street.