Tim Stater assumed the duties of Acting Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil on January 31, 2023.  Previously, Stater served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Managua, Nicaragua, and as the Director for Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs (2015-2017).  During a 36-year career, Stater has served in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Argentina as well as in Washington, D.C in the Bureaus of Economic and Business Affairs, Intelligence and Research, and Western Hemisphere Affairs.  He represented U.S. Embassy Lima at the U.S.-Peru free trade agreement negotiations and, with the U.S. Trade Representative’s chief negotiator, facilitated resolution of multiple investment disputes between Peru and U.S. companies prior to the trade accord’s implementation.  Early in his career, Stater participated as a staff member on President Ronald Reagan’s National Bipartisan Commission on Central America (1983-84), headed by Dr. Henry Kissinger.  Prior to government service, Stater worked at Kissinger Associates as a Latin America analyst.  He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University and a Master of Arts degree from Georgetown University.  He and his wife, Jacqueline Peacock, have three children.