Ambassador Johnny Young served as the Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia from 2001 to 2004.

Ambassador Young retired from the United States Department of State on Nov. 30, 2004, as a member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Ambassador. Today, he continues to serve the Department of State as a Team Leader in the Office of the Inspector General.

Prior to his retirement, he served as United States Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia, to the State of Bahrain, to the Republic of Togo, and to the Republic of Sierra Leone. He served three Presidents as Ambassador.

Ambassador Young began his Foreign Service career in 1967 as a Budget and Fiscal Officer in Antananarivo, Madagascar followed by assignments in 1970 and 1972 as supervisory General Services Officer in Conakry, Guinea and Nairobi, Kenya; respectively. In 1974, he was transferred to Doha, Qatar to provide administrative support to the newly expanded American Embassy and the first America Ambassador to that country. While in Qatar, Ambassador Young served as Administrative Officer and Chargé d’ Affaires, a.i. After Qatar, he was assigned to Bridgetown, Barbados as Administrative Counselor.

In 1979, Ambassador Young came to Washington, DC as Career Development Officer in the Bureau of Personnel. This was followed by service as Executive Director for the Office of the Inspector General in 1981. Ambassador Young departed Washington in 1983 to be Administrative Counselor in Amman, Jordan; and in 1985 served at The Hague, Netherlands. In 1988, he was selected for assignment to the Senior Seminar.

During his Foreign Service career, Ambassador Young has received three cash awards for performance, one Meritorious Honor Award, and two Group Honor Awards. He was also involved with Operation “Sharp Edge,” which was responsible for U.S. support and evacuation efforts during the Liberian war. In addition, the Sierra Leone mission received a Superior Group Award for their assistance in evacuating U.S. citizens following the coup in Freetown in April 1992.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Young was the recipient of a fellowship to the Fels Institute of State and Local Government at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1990, the Philadelphia School Board selected him for the Obermayer Award presented annually to an outstanding graduate of the public school system.

Ambassador Young holds a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Temple University. He is married to the former Angelena V. Clark, and they have two children, David John and Michelle Jeanine. The Youngs reside in Kensington, Maryland.