About

Retired Ambassador Michael Pelletier was appointed as the founding Executive Director of the Aspire Initiative Endowed Institute for Global Engagement at the University of Houston on August 1, 2021. He leads UH’s comprehensive internationalization efforts, including the Institute’s offices for learning abroad, university partnerships, global initiatives, and global events.

Previously, he served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Madagascar and the Union of the Comoros, before retiring from the US Foreign Service, having served as an American diplomat from 1987-2021. Ambassador Pelletier served at eight U.S. Missions overseas and in senior leadership positions at the U.S. Department of State, including as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi, India, and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs.

Ambassador Pelletier studied at Georgetown University, the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris, and Columbia University.  He received thirteen senior State Department awards, including a Presidential Meritorious Service Award and the Linguist of the Year. He is fluent in English, French, and Arabic.

Ambassador Pelletier serves on the board of Amideast, a leading American nonprofit organization engaged in international education, training, and development activities in the Middle East and North Africa. He is also a member-at-large of the Board of Directors of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Diplomacy, the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and the Public Diplomacy Council of America. He was named an honorary member of Phi Beta Delta, the honor society for international scholars.