- James Franklin Collins
Infobox US Ambassador
name=James F. Collins
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ambassador_from=United States
country=Russia
term_start=1996
term_end=2001
predecessor=Thomas R. Pickering
successor=Alexander R. Vershbow
president=Bill Clinton
birth_date=
birth_place=
death_date=
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footnotes=James Franklin Collins (born 1939) is a former U.S.
Ambassador ,Russia n specialist, and careerForeign Service Officer .Biography
Collins graduated from
Harvard University "cum laude" in 1961 and earned a Masters Degree in History fromIndiana University in 1964. He studied at theMoscow State University during 1965-66 as an exchange student in the history faculty and conducted research at theBritish Museum in 1966 as an Indiana University fellow.He became a professor at theU.S. Naval Academy where he taught Russian and European history, American government and economics.After joining the Foreign Service, he served in
Amman, Jordan and at theConsulate General inIzmir, Turkey . He was posted toMoscow as Second Secretary in 1973-75.At the
State Department in Washington he held positions of Deputy Executive Secretary for Europe and Latin America; Director of the Department of State's Operations Center; and policy positions in the Bureaus of European and Canadian Affairs, Near East and South Asian Affairs, and Intelligence and Research. From 1987 to 1988, he was a staff member of theNational Security Council as Director for Intelligence Policy. [http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=18991&prog=zru Press Release: Ambassador James F. Collins to Head Carnegie’s Russian & Eurasian Program] ]He was assigned to Moscow as
Deputy Chief of Mission in 1990 whenJack F. Matlock, Jr. was Ambassador. When Matlock retired, Collins becameChargé d'affaires and was acting Ambassador during the 1991 coup attempt that led to the breakup of the Soviet Union. He then served as Senior Coordinator and Ambassador at Large and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States, before being named Ambassador to Russia by PresidentBill Clinton in 1996.Collins was Ambassador during the summits held between President Clinton and President
Boris Yeltsin , and when Russian PresidentVladimir Putin came to power. [ [http://moscow.usembassy.gov/links/print_ambassadors.php U.S. Ministers and Ambassadors to Russia] American Embassy, Moscow]After a career in the Foreign Service, he has been active in the non-profit world and has served as a Senior Advisor at the law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.
In January 2007 he was appointed the Director of the Russian and Eurasian Program at the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace .He is married to Dr. Naomi F. Collins and they have two sons, Robert and Jonathan.
Honorary degrees
*
Indiana University
*University of Maryland University College
* TheRussian Academy of Sciences
* Nizhniy Novgorod State Linguistics University
* Moscow State University (honorary Professor)Awards
* Secretary of State's Award for Distinguished Service
* Department of State's Distinguished Honor Award
* Secretary of State’s Award for Career Achievement
* Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service
* NASA Medal for Distinguished ServiceNon-profit board memberships
He has served as a board member or advisor to the
*U.S.-Russia Business Council
*American Academy of Diplomacy
*Open World Leadership Center
*American Councils for International Education
*Civilian Research and Development Foundation
*Library of Foreign Literature in Moscow.Notes
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