John Berry

Who is John Berry?

Morrell John Berry is the United States Ambassador to Australia. He previously was director of the United States Office of Personnel Management.

Berry was born in Montgomery County, Maryland, to parents who worked for the federal government. He completed degrees at the University of Maryland, College Park and Syracuse University and worked in local government and as a legislative aide in state government from 1982 to 1985. From 1985 to 1994, he worked as legislative director for U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer. He held posts in the U.S. Treasury Department, the Smithsonian Institution, and the U.S. Department of the Interior until 2000, and worked as director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the National Zoological Park until 2009, when he was nominated by President Barack Obama as director of the United States Office of Personnel Management. Berry took office after being confirmed by the United States Senate in April 2009.

In June 2013, President Obama nominated Berry to replace Jeff Bleich as US ambassador to Australia. He was confirmed by unanimous consent of the US Senate in August 2013.