President Biden Announces His Intent to Nominate Key Members for the Department of State

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Daniel J. Kritenbrink to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Brian A. Nichols to serve as an Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Brett M. Holmgren to serve as an Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research.

Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Daniel J. Kritenbrink, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, has been U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam since 2017. He was previously the Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. In earlier tours in Beijing, he served as Political Minister Counselor, and as a Political Officer. Kritenbrink was Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs at the Department of State. He also served as a Political-Military officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Kritenbrink earned a Masters Degree at the University of Virginia, and a Bachelors Degree at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. He speaks fluent Chinese and Japanese.

Brian A. Nichols, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs

Brian A. Nichols, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister, currently serves as U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe. He was U.S. Ambassador to Perú from 2014 to 2017. Previously, Nichols served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). Prior to that he was a Deputy Assistant Secretary in INL. He also served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, Director of the Office of Caribbean Affairs, and Counselor for Political Affairs at the American Embassy in Indonesia. Earlier in his career, Nichols served as Deputy Political Counselor in Mexico. He also worked in the Office of UN Political Affairs, the Office of Central American Affairs, and the Executive Secretariat. Nichols began his Foreign Service career as a Consular Officer in Perú and then as a Political Officer in El Salvador. He received the 2016 Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development, two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, and 13 Senior Performance Awards. He speaks Spanish. A native of Rhode Island, he is a graduate of Tufts University.

Brett M. Holmgren, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research

Brett M. Holmgren served as the Deputy for Nominations for the Biden-Harris Transition Team, and as Co-Chair of the Intelligence Working Group for Biden for President. Earlier, Holmgren was Vice President for Technology Risk Management at Capital One Financial. Prior to that, he was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs at the National Security Council, where he also previously served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. Earlier, Holmgren was Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, and a political analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. Holmgren began his government service as a counterterrorism analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Holmgren is the recipient of numerous performance awards, including the Director of National Intelligence Superior Service Award, the Central Intelligence Agency Director’s award, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Award. He received a Bachelor’s Degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s Degree, summa cum laude, from Johns Hopkins University.