Michelle Kwan And Caroline Kennedy Are Among New Biden Nominees To Serve As Ambassadors

In a slew of nominations on Wednesday for key roles in the Biden administration, both Caroline Kennedy and Michelle Kwan were nominated as ambassadors.

Specifically, Biden nominated Kennedy, a member of the Kennedy political family, to be the ambassador to Australia, while Kwan, a renowned figure skater, will serve as the ambassador of Belize.

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne welcomed Kennedy’s nomination on Thursday, releasing a statement reading, “I warmly welcome President Biden’s nomination of Caroline Kennedy to serve as the United States’ Ambassador to Australia...She would be the second woman to serve in the role...Ms. Kennedy’s nomination comes as we mark and celebrate the 70th year of the ANZUS Treaty. Our Alliance has never been more central to the interests of both countries.”

According to CNN, Caroline is the second person from the Kennedy political family to be nominated for a key role. Victoria Kennedy, the widow of Senator Ted Kennedy, has been tapped to be his envoy to Austria. Caroline, who is also an author and an attorney, has served in key roles in other Presidential administrations before, working as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017.

Kwan, who is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, has also served in key roles in federal government positions. She became the first Public Diplomacy Envoy in 2006 and served in the role for a decade. Kwan also worked as a Senior Advisor at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and as an Advisor to the Office of Global Women’s Issues, among other key roles, at the U.S. Department of State.

Kwan tweeted a statement following the announcement that read, “I am honored to be nominated by President Biden to serve as ambassador to Belize, and if confirmed, I will be very proud to serve my country.”