Washington, Jan 22 (EFE).-
The government of the United States named diplomat Laura Dogu as Chargé d’Affaires of the Venezuela Affairs Unit on Thursday, based in Colombia.
The appointment is part of the collaboration process between the US President Donald Trump administration and the government of Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, following Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s overthrow.
The Venezuela Affairs Unit, located at the US Embassy in Bogotá, has been responsible for managing relations with Venezuela since Embassy operations were suspended in Caracas in 2019.
Dogu succeeds John McNamara, who was Chargé d’Affaires since Feb. 2025. McNamara traveled to the Venezuelan capital in Jan. 2026 to discuss the possible resumption of embassy operations with authorities in that country.
According to the State Department, in addition to being Chargé d’Affaires of the Venezuela Affairs Unit, Dogu is a foreign policy advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel R. “Dan” Cartwright. She speaks Spanish, Turkish, and Arabic and is a mother of two.
Dogu is a career member of the Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister. She has served as ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as Deputy Chief of Mission in Mexico City, and also held other positions in Turkey, Egypt, and El Salvador. Dogu was the deputy director of the FBI unit responsible for hostage rescue.
She holds a master’s degree from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (Colegio Industrial de las Fuerzas Armadas), as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business administration from Southern Methodist University in Texas.
The diplomat has received several distinctions, including two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, the Barbara Watson Award for Consular Excellence, and the James Baker III Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission. EFE
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