Darryl Nirenberg has been confirmed as the United States Ambassador to Romania, almost a year after the departure of the former head of mission, at a crucial moment in the Russia-Ukraine war which is being viewed with concern and uncertainty in Romania.
Mr. Nirenberg was confirmed in a 53-43 vote by the Senate on Thursday, six months after he was nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The United States embassy in Bucharest announced his confirmation on Friday. He is expected to take up his post early next year. His appointment comes as Romania, a NATO and EU member, watches developments with the war on its border which began almost four years ago.
Romania has a strategic partnership with the United States and many Romanians are pro-American. But there is also concern about the potential spread of Russian aggression in the event of a Trump-Putin peace deal that is favorable to Russia.
Bucharest’s pro-Western government has allied itself with European states which want security guarantees to prevent a fresh outbreak of hostilities on the continent.
Nirenberg, a diplomat with over 40 years of experience in foreign policy, was nominated by Trump in May, following the departure of the former Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec after Trump won re-election as U.S. president
“His extensive legislative and foreign policy experience, coupled with his demonstrated success leading teams in complex environments, make him a well-qualified candidate to be the U.S. Ambassador to Romania,” the State Department said in a July statement.
Trump described him as a strong supporter of the “America First” agenda and a professional with extensive experience of foreign relations and international trade matters.
“Romania is a key ally within NATO, strategically located on the Black Sea and bordering Ukraine. It offers great opportunities for American companies and has the potential to be a decisive factor in terms of energy resources. Our relationship with Romania has never been more important,” he said after he was nominated earlier this year.
In 2021, he unsuccessfully ran for for a post on the Alexandria City Council for the Republican Party. His site describes him as a self-made man.
“Darryl paid his own way through college and law school; saving money from starting a paper route, delivering groceries for a neighborhood convenience store, painting interiors; working check out and stocking shelves in a grocery store, bussing tables at a Catskills resort, waiting on tables at the Key Bridge Marriott here in Rosslyn and starting his own business selling premium candies from a roadside stand,” it said.
“The day he graduated from Colgate University, Darryl moved to what were then the Hamlets in the West End of Alexandria,. He found a job on Capitol Hill, and returned to his job waiting on tables at the Marriott in the evenings to help save for law school.”
He began his career as a Legislative Aide to Senator S.I. Hayakawa and as a Professional Staff Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. He then joined the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff, where he served during the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Romanian Revolution, first as a Professional Staff Member and subsequently as Minority Counsel and Minority Deputy Staff Director, according to the State Department.
He concluded his tenure on Capitol Hill serving as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to Senator Jesse Helms, including while the Senator was Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee.
After his fourteen-year career as a Senate staffer, Mr. Nirenberg entered the private sector, practicing first at Patton Boggs LLP, where after two years as an associate, he was made a Partner.
After nearly two decades with the firm, he joined Steptoe LLP as a Partner, where he currently practices.
He is married to Lori and they have two children.
On Romania’s National Day, Donald Trump is fine and dandy with Nicușor Dan
