Eric W. Kneedler

Eric W. Kneedler is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Rwanda since October 2023.

Kneedler earned his Bachelor’s degree from Pomona College, and his Master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Kneedler is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, with the rank of Minister-Counselor. He currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, where he also served as Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim. Kneedler had also served as Counselor for Political Affairs at the Embassy in Nairobi, and held the same role at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines. Previously, Kneelder served as the Deputy Political Counselor at the U.S Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, and as a Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Other assignments include Staff Assistant in the Bureau of European Affairs, a Senior Watch Officer in the State Department’s Operations Center, and various positions at the U.S. Embassy in Port Louis, Mauritius, and at the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong.

U.S ambassador to Rwanda

On August 3, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Kneedler to be the next ambassador to Rwanda. His nomination was not acted upon for the remainder of the year, and was returned to Biden on January 3, 2023.

President Biden renominated Kneedler the following day. Hearings on his nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 1, 2023. The committee favorably reported his nomination on April 27, 2023. His nomination was confirmed by the full United States Senate via voice vote on July 27, 2023. He presented his credentials to President Paul Kagame on October 18, 2023.

His foreign languages include Thai, Indonesian, and French, Cantonese, and Italian.