David Young
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malawi
David Young was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Malawi on March 3, 2022.
Ambassador Young has served in African posts for the past decade. He served as Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. at the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia from 2020-2021. He was Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa in 2019, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria from 2016-2019. He also served in Zambia as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2013-2016. He briefly served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in Khartoum, Sudan in 2012.
A Foreign Service Officer for 32 years, Ambassador Young previously served as Deputy Director of the Office of the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan; Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights; a Pearson Fellow in the House of Representatives; Public Affairs Officer at Embassy Guatemala; and Director of the Office of International Religious Freedom. His other assignments include tours in Vietnam, Panama, the State Department Operations Center, and several country desks.
Ambassador Young graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He studied ecumenical studies at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland on a Rotary Foundation Scholarship. He received a Master of Divinity degree in social ethics and a Master of Arts in international relations from Boston University.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Ambassador Young and his wife Diane Weisz Young have two grown children, Paul and Sarah. He enjoys travel with his family, going to U2 and Coldplay concerts, and sports of all kinds, especially watching the Kansas City Chiefs football team. He is passionate about leading teams, coaching, and servant leadership.