Whitaker, Kevin, 1957-

Kevin Whitaker (born April 28, 1957) is a United States career diplomat who is the former United States Ambassador to Colombia. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 1, 2014, and sworn in on April 28, 2014.

Born in Fort Campbell North, Kentucky, Whitaker received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Virginia in 1979. He joined the Foreign Service right out of college.

Most of his experience has been in Latin America. His early assignments included a tour of London before serving as desk officer for El Salvador and France, as well as working as political officer in Jamaica and Honduras. From 2002 to 2005, Whitaker headed the Cuban Affairs Desk for the State Department. During a visit to Havana in December 2002, he met with dissidents and was expelled by Fidel Castro’s government.

In 2005, he was named deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, another country with which the administration of President George W. Bush was at odds. Whitaker served there until 2007. At that point, he moved back to Washington to take a post as deputy executive secretary in the Office of the Secretary of State. In 2008, he was named director of the Office of Andean Affairs in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. In 2011, he was named deputy assistant secretary of state for South America in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Colombia by President Barack Obama on September 19, 2013 and confirmed by the Senate on April 1, 2014, he presented his credentials on May 20, 2014. He served as ambassador until August 17, 2019.

Whitaker and his wife, Elizabeth, have three sons.