UNITED STATES SENATE
SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of
Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service
Act, Section 304(a)(4)
POST: Albania
CANDIDATE: David J. Kostelancik
David J. Kostelancik, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as Foreign Policy Advisor to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Kostelancik previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission, and for two years, as Charge d’Affaires, a.i. at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary. Other assignments include Director of the Office of South Central European Affairs (overseeing U.S. diplomatic engagement with all Balkan countries, including Albania) and Director of the Office of Russian Affairs, both in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, as well as Director of the Office of Europe and Asia in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (including management of USG-funded rule-of-law assistance programs in Albania). Earlier, Kostelancik was posted twice to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia. Other overseas postings include the U.S. Mission to the OSCE and the U.S. Mission to NATO, the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, Albania and the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. Kostelancik’s substantive background in Europe and Eurasian Affairs, demonstrated ability to lead large interagency teams, language expertise, and broad diplomatic experience make him a well-qualified candidate to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Albania.
Kostelancik is the recipient of numerous State Department performance awards, including three Senior Foreign Service Performance Awards. A native of Illinois, he is a graduate of the National War College, where he earned a Master of Science. He also received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University. He speaks Russian, Hungarian, Albanian, and Turkish.