Cretz, Gene A. (Gene Allan), 1950-

Gene Allan Cretz (born 1950) is a career diplomat who retired from the Senior Foreign Service in 2015. Before retiring, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana. Before this, he was the first U.S. Ambassador to Libya since 1972, after being nominated in July 2007 by President Bush. His nomination was confirmed by the US Senate on November 21, 2008. He was sworn-in as U.S. Ambassador to Libya by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on December 17, 2008, at the State Department. He arrived in Libya on December 27, 2008. Cretz speaks several languages, including Arabic, Dari, Urdu, and Chinese. President Barack Obama nominated him for the post to Ghana in April 2012. He was sworn-in as the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on September 11, 2012. His retirement ceremony was held at the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, July 1, 2015.

Cretz was born in Albany, New York and attended Albany High School, graduating with the class of 1968. He subsequently taught there from 1977 to 1979. He received a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in Linguistics and Secondary Education from Buffalo State College at Buffalo.

Cretz served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kabul, Afghanistan from 1975-1977, and joined the Department of State in March 1981. His first Foreign Service tour was as General Services Officer and Consular Officer in Islamabad, Pakistan (1982-84). He then returned to Washington and served one year in the Operations Center and one year as Staff Assistant in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA).

From 1986-88, Mr. Cretz was a political officer in Damascus, Syria, followed by a tour as a political officer in New Delhi, India (1988-91). After leaving India, Mr. Cretz served in Tel Aviv (1991-94) where he was responsible for Arab affairs, including the Gaza Strip.

His second Washington assignment was in the Bureau of International Organizations as the officer responsible for Middle East Affairs at the United Nations. From 1998-2001, he served in Beijing, China, where he was in charge of China's External Affairs portfolio. In 2001 he transferred to Cairo, Egypt where he served as Minister-Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs.

He returned to Damascus, Syria in August, 2003 as Deputy Chief of Mission and subsequently served as Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy until January 2004. Prior to his first ambassadorship, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Tel Aviv from August 2004 until August 2007.

As of 2015, Mr. Cretz is one of two representatives for the Director of the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO). He is currently living in Tel Aviv, Israel.