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Biden will nominate Michelle Kwan and Caroline Kennedy for ambassador posts

The White House on Wednesday announced President Biden's intent to nominate Michelle Kwan, the two-time Olympic medalist, to serve as U.S. ambassador to Belize.

Biden will also nominate Caroline Kennedy, a former ambassador to Japan, to serve as ambassador to Australia.

Both women have long worked alongside the Democratic Party, including in support of Biden's 2020 White House run, and served in various political roles over the years.

Kwan, who is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, became the first U.S. public diplomacy envoy in 2006 and "for a decade, traveled extensively on behalf of the U.S. Department of State to engage youth around the world on social and educational issues," according to a White House press release.

Kennedy, a prolific author and daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, served as ambassador to Japan during President Barack Obama's second term.

As ambassador to Australia, Kennedy would represent the United States to one of the nation's closest allies and a key strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific.

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Caroline Kennedy is seen during a 2019 event.
Charles Krupa / AP
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AP
Caroline Kennedy is seen during a 2019 event.

Alana Wise joined WAMU in September 2018 as the 2018-2020 Audion Reporting Fellow for Guns & America. Selected as one of 10 recipients nationwide of the Audion Reporting Fellowship, Alana works in the WAMU newsroom as part of a national reporting project and is spending two years focusing on the impact of guns in the Washington region.Prior to joining WAMU, Wise was a politics and later companies news reporter at Reuters, where she covered the 2016 presidential election and the U.S. airline industry. Ever the fan of cherry blossoms and unpredictable weather, Alana, an Atlanta native and Howard University graduate, can be found roaming the city admiring puppies and the national monuments, in that order.
Alana Wise
Alana Wise is a politics reporter on the Washington desk at NPR.