Aimee Cutrona, a seasoned member of the United States Senior Foreign Service, has been appointed as the Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Morocco, effective Sunday, January 19, according to a press release from the embassy. This appointment comes in the wake of Ambassador Puneet Talwar's scheduled departure. The ambassador concluded his service on January 19, after more than two years representing the United States in the Kingdom. Chargé d'Affaires Cutrona had previously served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Rabat since July 2022. Her extensive diplomatic career includes significant roles in Washington, D.C., where she was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Levant Affairs and the Director of the Office of Levant Affairs at the Department of State. She also served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain from 2016 to 2019. Cutrona's diplomatic journey began in 1999, with assignments in various countries including Ethiopia, El Salvador, Qatar, and Egypt, alongside several positions in Washington, D.C. She is an alumna of Smith College and holds a master's degree in international relations and conflict management from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The appointment of a new Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy coincides with the transition to a new administration, as President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office tomorrow, January 20, after winning the November presidential election against incumbent Joe Biden. A US Ambassador to Morocco will be named when their nomination completes the Senate confirmation process. This could take weeks or even months. In the interim, the Chargé d'Affaires will act as the top diplomat at the embassy.
