Ambassador Teddy B. Taylor (Ret)

Director

"Keep your head to the sky for clouds to tell me why."

Ambassador Teddy B. Taylor (Ret)

Director

Ambassador (Ret) Teddy B. Taylor is a business consultant and lecturer on international affairs, leadership, and organizational development. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the East West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii; and is a member of the Board of the Omega Network for Action. Ambassador Taylor has also served as a senior advisor to the Board of Sister Cities International and a senior mentor to the International Career Advancement program.  

In a diplomatic career spanning four decades, Ambassador Taylor served in Central America, Europe, the Caribbean, the South Pacific and Africa. He concurrently served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republics of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu (2009-2012).  Other assignments of note include Consul General, Cape Town, South Africa, Diplomat in Residence at Howard University, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Resources.

Teddy is a graduate of Florida A&M University and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Allen University. He is a former President of the State Department’s Thursday Luncheon Group, an affinity group to promote diversity in foreign affairs. Ambassador Taylor is a life member of the Florida A&M University Alumni Association, the Thursday Luncheon Group, and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He additionally holds membership in the American Academy of Diplomacy, the Association of Black American Ambassadors, and the American Foreign Service Association.

Ambassador Taylor speaks Spanish, Turkish and Hungarian.  He is the recipient of numerous professional, fraternal, and civic awards. A fan of Washington DC sports teams, Teddy enjoys jazz, fine cigars and sharing his experiences with young people. Ambassador Taylor has one adult daughter, Blair.