US-Brazil Relations

Ambassador Donna Hrinak
U.S. Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil

A mature partnership between the United States and Brazil -the two largest countries in the hemisphere- is the key to the prosperity and stability of the entire region. U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Donna Hrinak will discuss the
state of U.S. / Brazilian relations at the Bildner Center on September 26. The election of the Lula government and the two countries' co-chairing the FTAA talks create a chance for the U.S. and Brazil to deepen their partnership on a range of issues. As this partnership will affect every U.S. and Brazilian citizen, and ultimately every person in the hemisphere, it is important to understand the dynamics of the relationship and how it will unfold in the future.

Donna J. Hrinak is the U.S. Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil. She arrived in Brasília April 19, 2002, and presented her credentials four days later. From July 2000 until her present appointment, she served as U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela. She previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Bolivia (1997-2000) and as U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic (1994-1997). She was the State Department's Coordinator for Policy for the Miami Summit of the Americas in 1994.

From 1991-1993, Ambassador Hrinak was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs, responsible for overseeing U.S. policy and relations with Mexico and the Caribbean. Earlier, she was Minister Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She also has served at Foreign Service posts in Caracas, Venezuela; São Paulo, Brazil; Bogota, Colombia; Warsaw, Poland; and Mexico City. In the Department of State, she has worked as Regional Affairs Officer for Central America. Ambassador Hrinak joined the Foreign Service in 1974.

Born in Pennsylvania, Ambassador Hrinak is a graduate of Michigan State University and attended the George Washington University and the University of Notre Dame School of Law. Her languages are Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish. She is a recipient of the U.S. Government's Distinguished Public Service Award and the Department of State's Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards. She was awarded a Congressional Fellowship by the American Political Science Association and in 1985 was selected by Glamour magazine as one of America's Ten Outstanding Working Women.

When: Friday, September 26 4:30pm
Where: Room 9206
The Graduate Center
City University of New York
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016
(@34th Street)

To reserve, send e-mail to brazilproject@gc.cuny.edu or leave message at (212) 817-2096