Roger F. Nyhus is an American business and civic leader who had served as the

United States ambassador to Barbados United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

, the

Eastern Caribbean The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS; French: ''Organisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale'', OECO) is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal ...

and the

OECS The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS; French: ''Organisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale'', OECO) is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal ...

Early life and education

Nyhus was born in the fishing

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

Westport, Washington Westport is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 2,213 at the 2020 census. Westport is located on the Point Chehalis Peninsula, right on the entrance to Grays Harbor from the Pacific Ocean. The publ ...

. His father was a commercial

fisherman A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million Commercial fishing, commercial and Artisan fishing, subsistence fishers and Fish farming, fi ...

and

municipal court A city court or municipal court is a court of law with jurisdiction limited to a city or other municipality. It typically addresses "violations of city ordinances and may also have jurisdiction over minor criminal cases...and over certain civil cas ...

clerk. He is a member of the

Chinook Indian Nation The Chinook Indian Nation is an unrecognized tribe in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington that was federally recognized from 2001 to 2002. It consists of the five westernmost Chinookan tribes: the Cathlamet, Clatsop, Lower Chinook, , an ...

. He earned his bachelor's degree from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

Career

Nyhus is the founder and former CEO of Nyhus Communications, a communications and public affairs firm based in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, the eighth largest Native American-owned company in the state of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. He has participated in international trade missions to China, Ireland, Cuba, and the United Arab Emirates. Nyhus has also served as a trusted adviser to business, government, and nonprofit leaders worldwide, including CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. During his career, Nyhus served as the Communications Director for Washington Governor

Gary Locke Gary Faye Locke (born January 21, 1950) is an American politician, attorney, and former diplomat from the State of Washington. Locke served as the 21st governor of Washington from 1997 to 2005, where he was the first Chinese-American governor ...

, a Senior Advocacy Officer for the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be List of wealthiest charitable foundations, the third largest char ...

, and Communications Director for Seattle Mayor

Paul Schell Paul Schell (born Paul Ervin Schlachtenhaufen; October 8, 1937 – July 27, 2014) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 50th mayor of Seattle, Washington, from 1998 to 2002. Early life and education The oldest of six children ...

. He also served on the boards of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Seattle Association. During the leadup to the 2020 presidential election, Biden made a campaign stop at Nyhus' home in Washington state.

U.S. ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean

On September 20, 2022, President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

nominated Nyhus to be the ambassador to

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, while also serving as the ambassador to Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. His nomination was returned to Biden at the end of the Congress on January 3, 2023, as no action was taken on it. President Biden renominated Nyhus the same day. Hearings on his nomination were held before the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for authorizing and overseeing foreign a ...

on May 4, 2023. The committee favorably reported his nomination on June 1, 2023. On November 15, 2023, the Senate confirmed Nyhus by a

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...

. He presented his credentials to President of Barbados

Sandra Mason Dame Sandra Prunella Mason (born 17 January 1949) is a Barbadian politician, lawyer, and diplomat who is serving as the first president of Barbados since 2021. She was previously the eighth and final governor-general of Barbados from 2018 to 2 ...

on January 19, 2024. During his time as ambassador, Nyhus created a U.S. partnership to improve court system efficiency in Barbados, promoted U.S. business investment in the region, and, along with

Interior Secretary The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...

Deb Haaland Debra Anne Haaland (; born December 2, 1960) is an American politician who served as the 54th United States secretary of the interior from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S. representative for New M ...

partnered with Eastern Caribbean nations to help combat

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

U.S. ambassador to St. Lucia

Nyhus presented his credentials to Governor General

Errol Charles Sir Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles GCMG (born 10 December 1942) is a Saint Lucian politician, who has served as the governor-general of Saint Lucia since 1 November 2024. He previous served as acting governor-general for three years, following ...

on January 31, 2024.

U.S. ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda

Nyhus presented his credentials to Governor General Sir

Rodney Williams Sir Rodney Errey Lawrence Williams, (born 2 November 1947) is an Antiguan former politician who is the current and 4th Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, having previously served as Minister for Education, Culture and Technology and as ...

on February 2, 2024.

U.S. ambassador to Grenada

Nyhus presented his credentials to Governor General

Cécile La Grenade Dame Cécile Ellen Fleurette La Grenade, (born 30 December 1952) is a Grenadian food scientist who has served as governor-general of Grenada since 2013. Early life and career La Grenade was born in La Borie, located in Saint George Parish, ...

on February 6, 2024.

U.S. ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Nyhus presented his credentials to Governor General

Susan Dougan Dame Susan Dilys Dougan ( Ryan; born 3 March 1955) is the Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 1 August 2019. She is the first woman to hold the office. She was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and S ...

on February 9, 2024.

U.S. ambassador to Saint Kitts and Nevis

Nyhus presented his credentials to Governor General

Marcella Liburd Dame Marcella Althea Liburd (born 10 July 1953) is a Kittitian politician who is the fifth governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis, serving since 2023. Trained as a teacher and then as a barrister and solicitor, Liburd was the first woman to se ...

on February 14, 2024.

U.S. ambassador to Dominica

Nyhus presented his credentials to President

Sylvanie Burton Sylvanie Burton is a politician from Dominica who has served as the president of Dominica since 2023, after being elected in the 2023 Dominican presidential election. She is the first woman and first Indigenous (Kalinago) president of Dominica ...

on February 26, 2024.

Awards and recognitions

In February 2023, Washington State University announced Nyhus would be inducted into Murrow College's Hall of Achievement.

References

, - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nyhus, Roger F. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Ambassadors of the United States to Antigua and Barbuda Ambassadors of the United States to Barbados Ambassadors of the United States to Dominica Ambassadors of the United States to Grenada Ambassadors of the United States to Saint Kitts and Nevis Ambassadors of the United States to Saint Lucia Ambassadors of the United States to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines American chief executives Washington State University alumni