Biden picks David Meale as next US ambassador to Bangladesh

He had previously worked in Dhaka as the deputy chief of the mission

President Joe Biden has nominated David Slayton Meale, a former deputy chief of mission in Dhaka, as the next US Ambassador to Bangladesh, the White House says.

Meale’s nomination has been sent to the Senate for confirmation, it added.

He will succeed Ambassador Peter Haas, who has been America's top diplomat here since July 2021.

Meale’s nomination came at a time when Dhaka and Washington are pursuing a reset in the tense diplomatic relations in the lead-up to the Jan 7 general elections, which the US criticised.

Relations strained in the run-up to the ballot when the US imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on public officials in Bangladesh and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accused the Americans of attempting a regime change.

The Biden administration has since been taking steps towards enhancing economic and geopolitical cooperation with Bangladesh.

Meale had been appointed to Dhaka as the deputy chief of the mission in August 2014.

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of minister-counsellor, he is currently deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Beijing.

He also served as chargé d’affaires ad interim there, the White House said in an announcement of his nomination.

Prior to this role, Ambassador-designate Meale was deputy assistant secretary for trade policy and negotiations for the department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.

He was previously the bureau’s director for sanctions policy and implementation.

Other positions include associate dean for the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, District of Columbia; counsellor for economic affairs at the US Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine; deputy director of the Office of Monetary Affairs in the Economic Bureau; and additional positions in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Guinea, and Washington.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Meale held positions in corporate finance with Sprint Telecommunications.

A native of Virginia, he holds a MS from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School, an MBA from Tulane University, and a BA from the University of Delaware.

He is the recipient of the Baker-Wilkins Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission and has studied Chinese, Ukrainian, and French, according to the White House.