Currently president and associate publisher American Diplomacy Publishers, which operates the online journal, "American Diplomacy," Ambassador Michael Cotter has had wide experience in diplomatic relations, particularly between the United States, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle and Far East.

Cotter will address the English-Speaking Union Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Country Club of North Carolina. Cocktails will be served at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. His topic will be "The New Face of Central Asia in the 21st Century."

Born in Madison, Wis., he spent his early years in Milwaukee. He holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Affairs, a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, and a master's degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford University.

Cotter entered the Foreign Service in 1968. He served in Vietnam with CORDS in the northern Mekong Delta (1970), in Embassy Saigon (1971) and with Consulate General Kan Tho, assigned to the northern Mekong Delta (1973). He served as political officer in La Paz (1971 and 1973}, and Quito (1976 and 1979}, with intervening assignments in the State Department's Latin American Bureau.

After Turkish Language Training, he was assigned to Ankara as a political-military affairs officer, (1980-1982) and then as Senior Turkish Desk Officer in the Department.

During his career, he served as director of the Office of Defense Relations and Security Assistance of the Gulf War, was named Deputy Chief of Mission in Santiago, Chile. In 1995, he was nominated and confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan.

After leaving government service in 1998, Cotter did research at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In 2001, he moved to the Chapel Hill area. He is chairman of the Orange County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Advisory Council, and writes and lectures on international relations topics. Cotter speaks fluent Spanish and French. His rusty languages include Vietnamese, Turkish and Russian. He is married to Joan Cotter, who is also a retired Foreign Service officer.

The English-Speaking Union is an organization whose mission is "drawing together the English-speaking people of the world." Its commitment is promoting scholarship and the advancement of knowledge through the effective use of English in an expanding global community.

Those interested in attending the event and obtaining information regarding membership in English-Speaking Union, should contact Martha O'Connor, membership chair, at 235-0635, or e-mail Dr. Phil Hinesley at p.hinsley @gmail.com.