Eric Nelson

Eric George Nelson is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2019 to 2022.

Education

Nelson received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Rice University and his Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin - Red McCombs School of Business.

Career Nelson began his career in as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia, West Africa. In 1990, he began working for the State Department. He has worked in seven United States missions overseas including in the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Consulate General of the United States, Munich and in the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. On February 18, 2019, he presented his credentials to the Bosnian government. Nelson was one of five openly gay ambassadors appointed under the Trump administration. He left his post on February 1, 2022.

Nelson called for a new Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stating that the current constitution is an obstacle for Bosnia to join the "Transatlantic community". He added, "There is a whole range of constitutional issues which need to be dealt with so the country can fulfill Transatlantic standards. Many of those issues are difficult to solve, but none of them is impossible."

On April 1, 2021, Nelson met with Bosnian Presidency member Željko Komšić, with whom he spoke on the importance of a transparent and inclusive electoral reform process and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Reform Program as an opportunity to attract Ally support for reforms consistent with the country's EU path. On December 7, 2021, Nelson met with Bosnian Minister of Defence Sifet Podžić and U.S. envoy Gabriel Escobar, to discuss the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the prospect of modernizing the country's Armed Forces.

Personal life Nelson speaks Spanish, German, and Italian.