The US Embassy in Athens is undergoing a major transition following Kimberly Guilfoyle’s resignation as ambassador. To maintain continuity and prevent a diplomatic vacuum in US-Greece relations, Deputy Chief of Mission Josh Huck has assumed the role of interim chargé d’affaires.
Huck will lead the embassy in the coming months while the formal process of selecting, nominating, and confirming a permanent ambassador by the US Senate takes place. Diplomatic sources indicate he is unlikely to be named as the permanent successor, as the interim role is primarily institutional and administrative.
Experienced career diplomat
Josh Huck joined the US Foreign Service in 2001. He has served in Shanghai, Tokyo, Sofia, Rangoon, Taipei, and Hong Kong, and held key Washington posts, including in the Bureaus of Chinese and Korean Affairs and as Chief of Staff to Kurt Campbell, then Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
He previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southern Europe and the Caucasus and as Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs, overseeing Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Turkey.
Huck holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University, a master’s from the International University of Japan, and a certificate from the Johns Hopkins SAIS campus in Bologna. He speaks Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Burmese, and Bulgarian.
New ambassador expected to take months
Selecting and confirming a permanent US ambassador to Greece is expected to take several months. The process requires Senate confirmation, and the upcoming US midterm elections may further delay hearings and final approval, potentially pushing the arrival of a new ambassador into early 2027.
Bill Giannopoulos
Junior Editor
Bill Giannopoulos is a Junior Editor at Greek City Times, covering Greek and international news, sport, and history.