THE United States has appointed Usha E Pitts as the new chargé d’affaires to The Bahamas. She paid a courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield at the ministry’s offices yesterday.

Also in attendance were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Peter Deveaux-Isaacs and Director General Sharon Brennen-Haylock.

Chargé d’Affaires Pitts was accompanied by Garrett Wilkerson, acting deputy chief of mission and director/international narcotics and law enforcement affairs; and Daniel Villanueva, political- economic-commercial chief.

Mrs Pitts began her tour at the US Embassy in The Bahamas on January 1.

Prior to this post, she served in Russia, Cuba, Italy, Austria, Panama and Brazil. She has also served in Washington and New York. She began her career at US Embassies in Moscow and Panama City. She has worked in Havana, where she tracked the Cuban economy.

Mrs Pitts was born and raised in Massachusetts, the daughter of an inter-racial marriage. She and her husband are the proud parents of two teenagers.

They look forward to learning about The Bahamas and other island nations in the English-speaking Caribbean, a press release noted.