Kelly, Thomas P., 1961-

Thomas P. Kelly III (born 1961) is an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs.

A native of Manhattan Beach, California, Kelly earned his bachelor's degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1984. He then earned a master's degree in Development Economics from Stanford University and another in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University.

Kelly began his career in the United States Foreign Service in 1985, and has served in U.S. Missions in San Salvador, Santiago, Chile, Quito, Vilnius, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo. Kelly worked in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs from 1988 to 1990 and in the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Kelly was nominated to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti by President Barack Obama on April 7, 2014. He presented his credentials on October 13, 2014. As chief of mission, Kelly supervised U.S. government programs and activities in Djibouti, including assistance programs and annual base-leasing payments to support the only enduring U.S. military presence in Africa. He interacted with Djiboutian leaders to promote U.S. interests, oversaw regional counterterrorism operations, and led the U.S. Embassy response to the refugee crisis associated with the conflict in Yemen. Kelly's mission was terminated on January 15, 2017, and he was replaced by Larry André Jr..

After the end of the Obama Admininstration, Kelly became the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at Raytheon.