Donald Tapia: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|American businessman and diplomat (born 1938)}}

|successor = [[N. Nick Perry]]

|children = 2

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'''Donald Ray Tapia''' (born January 12, 1938) is an American businessman who served as the [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Jamaica|United States Ambassador to Jamaica]] from 2019 until 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2018/05/17/don-tapia-nominated-donald-trump-u-s-ambassador-jamaica/621650002/ |title=Don Tapia nominated by Donald Trump to be U.S. ambassador to Jamaica |publisher=Azcentral.com |date=2018-05-17 |accessdate=2019-11-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://jm.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ |title=Ambassador Donald R. Tapia |publisher=Jm.usembassy.gov |date= |accessdate=2019-11-21 |archive-date=2020-11-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101040714/https://jm.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life==

Tapia was born on January 12, 1938, in [[Detroit]], Michigan. He was raised in poverty primarily by his mother after his father left the family.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tke.org/featured-stories/donald-r-tapia|title=Detroit to Paradise &#124; Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity}}</ref> After graduating from [[high school]], Tapia joined the [[United States Air Forces]] and served from 1955 to 1959.

==Career==

[[File:Secretary Pompeo Meets with Ambassador Tapia (49429394031).jpg|left|thumb|Tapia meets with [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Mike Pompeo|Michael R. Pompeo]] in [[Kingston, Jamaica]] on January 22, 2020.]]

===Political Campaign===

Tapia ran as an Independent for [[Mohave County]] Supervisor in 1980, while a resident of [[Lake Havasu City]], Arizona. He lost in the General Election to incumbent Republican Supervisor Jerry Holt by a wide margin.

===Business Career & Philanthropy===

Tapia served as Chairman and CEO of the Essco Group Management, an electrical production company, for over 30 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://buzz-caribbean.com/news/donald-tapia-what-you-should-know-about-the-newest-us-ambassador-to-jamaica/|title=Donald Tapia: What you should know about Jamaica's newest US Ambassador &#124; Buzz|date=8 August 2019}}</ref>

Tapia also served on the Board of Directors for the Sun Angel Foundation and Endowment at [[Arizona State University]], the [[Tau Kappa Epsilon]] Educational Foundation the Board of Indianapolis, and as Chairman of Board and Trustee at [[Saint Leo University]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loopjamaica.com/content/arizona-businessman-tipped-us-ambassador-role-jamaica|title=Arizona businessman tipped for US ambassador role in Jamaica &#124; Loop Jamaica|access-date=2021-02-09|archive-date=2018-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816210900/http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/arizona-businessman-tipped-us-ambassador-role-jamaica|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica===

U.S. President [[Donald Trump]] nominated Tapia to serve as [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Jamaica|United States Ambassador to Jamaica]], succeeding [[Luis G. Moreno|Luis Moreno]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-jamaica-diplomacy/update-1-u-s-envoy-to-jamaica-insults-twitter-critics-you-drink-that-cheap-stuff-idUSL1N2HJ2ZI|title =U.S. Envoy to Jamaica insults Twitter critics – 'you drink that cheap stuff'|newspaper = Reuters|date = 28 October 2020|last1 = Landay|first1 = Jonathan}}</ref>

{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Jamaica]]|years=2019–2021}}

{{s-aft|after=John McIntyre<br>[[Chargé d’Affaires]]}}

[[Category:1938 births]]