WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has announced his intended candidate for the post of US ambassador to Singapore, a post that has been vacant since 2017.

The nominee, Ms Barbera Hale Thornhill, is the president of Impact Design, an interior design firm in Los Angeles.



“Ms Thornhill’s extensive philanthropic work has address the needs of children affected by poverty, abuse and neglect, especially as secretary of the board of the Children’s Institute of Los Angeles,” the White House said.

She has promoted literacy, technology and cultural programmes through the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, as a board member of the West Los Angeles County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and as a leader of the National Children’s Chorus of Los Angeles and New York, it added in its announcement of her nomination.

She is a member of the Getty Research Institute Council, the Getty Paintings Council, the World Affairs Council, and the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Ms Thornhill attended the University of California at Los Angeles, George Washington University and North Carolina State University in Raleigh, the White house added.





The appointment of ambassadors must be confirmed by the US Senate in a process that involves extensive checks, a hearing and a vote.

The post has been vacant since Mr Kirk Wagar resigned in 2017. Former US Deputy Security Adviser KT McFarland was nominated for the post last year, but asked to have the nomination withdrawn after it stalled in Senate.

Her nomination was delayed due to concerns about her testimony to Congress over communications with Russia.

Rafik Mansour currently serves as the embassy’s Charge d’Affaires.