Richard Yoneoka

Jefe de Misión Adjunto

Richard “Rick” Yoneoka assumed duty as the Deputy Chief of Mission of U.S. Embassy Santiago in July 2023. Previously, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs (TRA) within the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.

Rick’s other leadership assignments include Consul General (Hamburg, Germany), Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission (Banjul, The Gambia), Chief of Staff for the State Department’s Chief Economist, and Director of Aviation Negotiations. Other tours include Germany, Venezuela, Burundi, and the Office of Policy, Planning, and Coordination in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

A native of Rochester, New York, Rick has a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University (NDU), and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and German from Tufts University. He is also a graduate of the Department of State’s Advanced Economics Seminar. Before joining the Foreign Service, Rick worked for a Member of Congress and taught English at the University of Lodz, Poland. His foreign languages include German and Spanish. He is a proud ICAP Alum and Eagle Scout. Rick is married and has three children.