Inside U.S. Embassy Operations
Tuesday, October 27
Starting at 7:00 pm EST / 6:00 pm CST / 5:00 pm MST / 4:00 pm PST
Register to get the Zoom instructions for this virtual event
Join us Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. EDT for a live NFTGA webinar exploring how U.S. embassies are structured and operate. Three highly accomplished and respected U.S. Foreign Service Officers—with more than 100 years of combined experience—will share practical insights especially valuable to tour guides, tour directors, and tourists traveling abroad. Find out the type of emergencies which warrant contacting the U.S. Embassy, the kinds of helpful information and assistance which embassies can provide, what do in the event of a lost passport, what steps to take in the event of the death of a person, abroad, and how to deal with other contingencies. A generous Q&A will follow.
Can’t attend live? A recording will be available for 30 days, and the link will be sent to your tour guide association contact(s).
Ambassador Cynthia H. Akuetteh — A Foreign Service Officer for nearly 35 years, she retired from the State Department in 2018 after serving as Ambassador to Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe (2014–2018). Earlier roles included Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Africa (2012–2013), Director for Africa in the Bureau of Energy and Natural Resources (2011–2012), Deputy Chief of Mission in Burkina Faso (2005–2007) and Côte d’Ivoire (2007–2009), and Director for Central Africa (2009–2011).
Ambassador Shaun Donnelly retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2008 after a 36-year career focused on international economics, trade, and development. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives and as Deputy Ambassador in Tunisia and Mali. He also held three Deputy Assistant Secretary positions in the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, serving a total of eight years, and was Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East.
Senior Foreign Service Officer Sigrid Emrich (Economic Cone) retired from the State Department in March 2025 after a 35-year career. Her overseas assignments included China, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, and Mexico. In Washington, she worked on North American trade policy, Mexican economic issues, Ecuador, Central European affairs, and human resources. She also taught orientation courses for incoming Foreign Service and Civil Service employees at the Foreign Service Institute.
John D. Feeley is an American diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Panama from 2015 until his resignation took effect on March 9, 2018. Feeley joined the U.S. Department of State in 1990. His career includes extensive experience in Latin American affairs, either at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., and on assignments overseas. From 2004 to 2006, he was a Deputy Executive Secretary in the Office of the Secretary of State, where he managed information flow for Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. He was Deputy Chief of Mission in Mexico from 2009 to 2012. He has also held the positions of Director for Central American Affairs and Deputy Director for Caribbean Affairs. He served as the Summit of the Americas Coordinator, overseeing preparation for U.S. participation in the 2012 Cartagena Summit.
For feedback or contact updates for future NFTGA Education Programs, email Mike McMains of the Chicago Tour Guide Professionals Association at mike@tourswithmike.com.
