# List of ambassadors of the United States to Rwanda

The United States ambassador to Rwanda is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Rwanda.
Until 1962 Rwanda had been a part of the United Nations Trust Territory of Ruanda-Urundi under the trusteeship of Belgium. In June 1962 the UN General Assembly terminated the Belgian trusteeship and granted full independence to Rwanda and Burundi. The United States immediately recognized the Rwandan government on its independence day, July 1, 1962, and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The U.S. Embassy in the capital Kigali was established on July 1, 1962, with David J.S. Manbey as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. Charles D. Withers was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Rwanda on March 9, 1963.

## Ambassadors and chiefs of mission

| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission |
| Charles D. Withers – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | March 9, 1963 | April 19, 1963 | September 15, 1966 |
| Leo G. Cyr – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 19, 1966 | November 4, 1966 | September 29, 1971 |
| Robert Foster Corrigan – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 9, 1971 | March 24, 1972 | August 3, 1973 |
| Robert E. Fritts – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 28, 1974 | April 18, 1974 | June 18, 1976 |
| T. Frank Crigler – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 16, 1976 | October 29, 1976 | May 12, 1979 |
| Harry R. Melone, Jr. – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 6, 1979 | December 28, 1979 | August 17, 1982 |
| John Blane – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 30, 1982 | November 9, 1982 | July 16, 1985 |
| John Edwin Upston – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 17, 1985 | February 13, 1986 | July 14, 1987 |
| Leonard H. O. Spearman – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 5, 1988 | April 27, 1988 | November 10, 1990 |
| Robert A. Flaten – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 30, 1990 | December 17, 1990 | November 23, 1993 |
| David P. Rawson – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 22, 1993 | January 8, 1994 | January 6, 1996 |
| Robert E. Gribbin III – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 19, 1995 | January 10, 1996 | January 5, 1999 |
| George McDade Staples – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 26, 1998 | January 27, 1999 | September 22, 2001 |
| Margaret K. McMillion – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 5, 2001 | December 13, 2001 | July 10, 2004 |
| Michael R. Arietti – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 2, 2005 | December 5, 2005 | November 2, 2008 |
| W. Stuart Symington – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 4, 2008 | November 3, 2008 | July 5, 2011 |
| Donald W. Koran – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 5, 2011 | October 10, 2011 | January 7, 2015 |
| Erica Barks-Ruggles – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 15, 2014 | January 26, 2015 | March 15, 2018 |
| Peter H. Vrooman – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 15, 2018 | April 7, 2018 | January 24, 2022 |
| Deb MacLean - Career FSO | Chargé d'Affairs ad interim | January 24, 2022 | | September 13, 2023 |
| Eric W. Kneedler - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 27, 2023 | October 18, 2023 | |