U.S. Embassy in Belmopan Announces Leadership Transition

A change in leadership is underway at the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan. Rhonda Slusher has been named Deputy Chief of Mission, a position she assumed on August 11. She will also serve as Chargé d’affaires, a temporary role that comes with the departure of the previous Chargé d’affaires, David Hodge, on August 16. Hodge had been serving in the role for the past seven months. Slusher will hold the position until the arrival of the new Chargé d’affaires, Katharine Beamer, on August 23.  Slusher is a career member of the Foreign Service who has held various roles since joining the Department of State in 2007. Prior to her appointment in Belmopan, she served as the Management Officer in Georgetown, Guyana. Her career has also taken her to Panama, Azerbaijan, and Peru. Slusher is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and holds an M.S. in Clinical Psychology. She is fluent in Spanish.  Meanwhile, Beamer is a career diplomat who has served in U.S. embassies across Latin America and Europe. Her career, which began in 2001, includes posts in Guatemala, Poland, Slovakia, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic. Beamer has also held roles in Washington, D.C., working in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. A Stanford University graduate, she is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and has been recognized with multiple Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor Awards.