Kelly Craft

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Kelly Craft
File:Kelly Knight Craft - 2018 (25766214208) (cropped).jpg
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Taking office
TBD*
President Donald Trump
Succeeding Jonathan Cohen (acting)
United States Ambassador to Canada
Assumed office
October 23, 2017
President Donald Trump
Preceded by Bruce Heyman
Personal details
Born Kelly Dawn Guilfoil
(1962-02-24) February 24, 1962 (age 62)
Fayette County, Kentucky, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • David Moross (div.)
  • Judson Knight (div.)
  • Joe Craft
    (m. 2016)
Education University of Kentucky (BA)
*Pending Senate confirmation

Kelly Dawn Knight Craft (née Guilfoil; born February 24, 1962)[1] is an American political donor and diplomat who is currently serving as the United States Ambassador to Canada, the first woman to hold the post.[2][3][4] She was appointed by President George W. Bush as a U.S. alternate delegate to the United Nations in 2007, where her focus included U.S. engagement in Africa.[5][6] She was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Kentucky.[5] She headed Kelly G. Knight LLC, a business advisory firm based in Lexington, Kentucky.[7]

On May 2, 2019, Craft's nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was officially sent to the United States Senate[8] after President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate her on February 22, 2019.[9]

Early life and education

Craft was born in 1962, the daughter of the late veterinarian Dr. Bobby Guilfoil and Sherry Dale Guilfoil.[10] Her father was a Democratic Party activist who once served as chairman of the Barren County, Kentucky Democratic Party.[1] She grew up in Glasgow, Kentucky, and graduated from Glasgow High School in 1980.[6]:{{{3}}}[11] She graduated with a B.A. from the University of Kentucky in 1984.

Political involvement and donations

Craft has been described as a generous donor to political candidates.[12]

In 2004, Craft was a prominent supporter of George W. Bush, who appointed her an alternate delegate to the United Nations in 2007.[13] As part of the delegation, her responsibilities included advising the UN ambassador on US/Africa policy.[14]

In 2016, Craft and her husband donated millions of dollars to candidates for the 2016 Republican nomination for president.[15] Prior to donating more than $2 million to Donald Trump's campaign, the couple supported Marco Rubio.[13] Craft and her husband, Joe Craft, have strongly supported Mitch McConnell.[16] McConnell in turn urged Trump to nominate Craft as ambassador to Canada.[16]

Craft served on the board of trustees of her alma mater, the University of Kentucky, for a term beginning August 2016,[14] but resigned to accept the Canadian ambassadorship a year later.[17]

U.S. ambassador to Canada

On June 15, 2017, Craft was nominated by President Donald Trump to become the ambassador to Canada. She was confirmed by the United States Senate by voice vote on August 3 and assumed office on October 23.[18]

In her first week as ambassador to Canada, Craft said in an interview with CBC News that when it comes to the scientific consensus on climate change she believes in "both sides of the science."[19][20]

According to a June 2019 report in Politico, Craft was frequently absent from her Ottawa post during her tenure as ambassador.[16] During a 15-month period, she took 128 flights between Ottawa and the United States, the equivalent of a round trip per week.[16] 70 of the trips either had Lexington, Kentucky as the origin or destination of her trips, which raised questions as to whether the trips were for personal reasons.[16] The Trump administration did not provide records of how many days Craft was present in Ottawa; per State Department rules, an ambassador may only spend 26 work days away from a post.[16] Craft does not make her schedules available.[16]

U.N. ambassador

On February 22, 2019, Craft was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace Nikki Haley, who had resigned the previous year, as his envoy to the United Nations.[21] The first replacement choice, Heather Nauert, withdrew her nomination.[22] The United States Senate received Craft's nomination from the White House on May 2, 2019.[8] During a Senate hearing on June 19, 2019, Craft said that she would continue to fight anti-Israel bias in the United Nations.[23]

Personal life

Craft has been married three times and divorced twice. She married David S. Moross and then Judson Knight.[13] She wed Joe Craft in April 2016.[24] Her husband is a billionaire coal-mining executive for Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., the third-largest coal producer in the eastern United States.[25][26][27]

References

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  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Canada
2017–present		 Incumbent
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