SULAIMANI (ESTA) — U.S. Department of State on Wednesday appointed veteran diplomat Irvin Hicks Jr as the new consul general in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region.
US Consulate General – Erbil in a statement confirmed that its country has appointed Hicks Jr as the new consul, joining the consulate in August 2022 after serving as Senior Advisor to the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Succeeding former consul Robert Palladino.
“Former Foreign Policy Advisor for the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa based in Djibouti Consul General Hicks Jr has been assigned. A second-generation career member of the Senior Foreign Service,” the statement read.
He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission for U.S. Embassy Nouakchott, Mauritania. and Washington, D.C. assignments include the Office of Management Policy, Right-sizing and Innovation, and Management Counselor rover where he supported U.S. missions in West Africa engaged in the fight against the Ebola pandemic, the statement said.
Prior to joining the U.S. Department of State Hicks worked as a human activist in non-governmental agencies, according to the statement.
“Mr. Hicks worked for several non-government agencies that included the African American Institute, Entrepreneurs International, and the U.S.-South African Leadership Exchange Program,” It said.
“He was also a corporate executive for General Motors’ Africa and Middle East Operations. Additional assignments with the State Department include Guinea, Nigeria, Brazil, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Mauritius, and Burundi” it added.
