June 18, 1984
The President today announced his intention to nominate Leonardo Neher, of Maryland, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, as Ambassador to the Republic of Upper Volta. He would succeed Julius Waring Walker, Jr.
Mr. Neher served in the U.S. Army in 1943 - 1946. He was a personnel technician at the Department of the Navy in 1952 - 1954. In 1954 he entered the Foreign Service as consular officer in Ankara. He was economic and political officer in Tangier (1957 - 1961), commercial officer in Saigon (1962 - 1964) and in Damascus (1964 - 1968). In 1966 - 1968 he was arms policy officer in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs in the Department. He was on detail to the Department of Defense as assistant, foreign military rights affairs, international security affairs, in 1968 - 1970. He was principal officer in Lubumbashi (1970 - 1972), deputy chief of mission in N'Djamena (1972 - 1974), and counselor for political affairs in Santo Domingo (1974 - 1977). In 1977 - 1979 he was on detail to the Environmental Protection Agency as assistant for plans and policies. In the Department he was Staff Director of the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service (1979 - 1981), Inspector in the Office of the Inspector General (1981), and Deputy Director of the Office of Analysis for Africa (1981). Since 1982 he has been Director of the Office of Analysis for Africa.
Mr. Neher graduated from Bowling Green State University (B.A., 1948) and the University of Chicago (M.A., 1952). He attended Akron University in 1940 - 1941. His foreign languages are Spanish and French. He was born December 5, 1922, in Cincinnati, OH.