Earl Anthony Wayne

Wayne was nominated and confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs (EB) in 2000. He served in that position under three Secretaries of State. In EB, he oversaw work on post-conflict economic assistance, economic sanctions, international debt, development and economic reform policies, combating the financing of terrorism, international energy policy, trade, intellectual property and investment policies, international telecommunications policy, international transportation policies, support for U.S. businesses overseas, and efforts to end trade in "conflict diamonds". He also had a leading role in coordinating a number of reconstruction and assistance donor conferences during this time.

Wayne served as Interim Under Secretary for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs in 2005, during which he also served as U.S. Foreign Affairs "Sous-Sherpa," helping prepare the Gleneagles G8 Summit. At his departure in June, 2006, Wayne had become the longest serving Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs. He received a State Department Distinguished Honor Award and a Presidential Meritorious Service Award during his tenure as Assistant Secretary.

In 2006, Wayne was nominated and confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, and he presented his credentials in November 6 of that year. In 2008, he received the Paul Wellstone Anti-Slavery Ambassador of the Year Award for his work against trafficking in persons in Argentina. He also worked successfully to improve the image of the United States in Argentina, as well as to increase bilateral trade and investment and to improve cooperation on fighting illegal drugs, among other areas.

In June 2009, Ambassador Wayne was asked to serve in a newly created position as Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he worked to improve coordination of U.S. government non-military assistance to that country and to enhance cooperation between international donors and the Afghan government.[6][7]

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In late May, 2010, Wayne took over the position of Deputy Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. In that role, under Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, he oversaw Embassy programs and staff, worked closely with the Afghan government, coordinated with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and with other elements of the international community and Afghan society.[6] Wayne received a Presidential Meritorious Service Award and a Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service for his work in Afghanistan, as well as the Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement from the Department of State.

In May 2011, President Obama submitted Wayne's nomination to be the US Ambassador to Mexico. Wayne was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 2, and presented his credentials to President Felipe Calderón on September 13, 2011.[8][9] During Wayne's tenure, the United States and Mexico expanded cooperation on economic, educational, public security and other issues. The two governments established a High Level Economic Dialogue, the Mexico-U.S. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council, the U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation and Research, and a Bilateral Security Forum, while expanding cooperation under the $2.3 billion Mérida Initiative and on a range of border and travel issues. Trade, investment and tourism grew each year during Wayne's tenure. In 2014, the number of Mexicans studying in the U.S. doubled to over 30,000 and some 50 new university level partnerships were established, thanks to cooperation under the Bilateral Forum on Higher Education. Mission Mexico was chosen in 2014 by the State Department as the "Embassy to Watch" for its wide-ranging public-private partnerships, and in 2015, the Embassy was selected as one of three "Gender Champions" among U.S. Embassies world-wide for its efforts to support gender programs and good practices. Mission Mexico's outreach also grew massively during Wayne's tenure, for example, reaching 1 million Facebook likes for the Embassy alone by September, 2015. Wayne's work in Mexico was recognized by the U.S. and Mexican governments (see Recognition).

Confirmed by the Senate as a "Career Ambassador" (2010) (the most senior rank of the U.S. Foreign Service); Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement by Senior Officers (2010); Paul Wellstone Anti-Slavery Ambassador of the Year Award (2008); Department of State's Distinguished Honor Award (2005); Presidential Distinguished Service Award (2001); two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards (2012, 2005); Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service (2011); Global Ambassador of Peace and Public Service, International House, University of California, Berkeley (2015); Order of the Aztec Eagle granted by Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto and Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade (2015).[10] In October 2015, Wayne was chosen to receive the State Department's Charles E. Cobb Jr. Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development. In June 2017, the Director General of the Foreign Service awarded Wayne the Director General's Cup for the Foreign Service.