Francisco Palmieri

Francisco "Paco" Palmieri is an American diplomat who currently serves as the Civilian Deputy and Foreign Policy Advisor to Admiral Craig S. Faller at United States Southern Command, succeeding former Ambassador Jean Elizabeth Manes in July 2021. He previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs where he led the State Department’s efforts to advance U.S. foreign policy goals in the region from January 2017 to November 2018. Palmieri managed the successful 2018 Summit of the Americas in Peru, U.S. engagement with the Lima Group unifying 15 Western Hemisphere democracies in a multilateral diplomatic response to the crisis in Venezuela, the reorientation of U.S. foreign assistance in support of the Colombia peace process, the formulation and adoption of a new comprehensive U.S. political and economic Caribbean 2020 strategy for the Caribbean, the launch of the renegotiation of the 50-year old Columbia River Treaty with Canada, and the multi-agency response to the ongoing migration challenges emanating from Central America. He also was responsible for the daily management of the Bureau’s 53 overseas U.S. diplomatic missions, 12,000 employees, and implementation of the Hemisphere’s $1.58 billion foreign assistance and $290 million operating budgets.