Kenneth I. Juster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenneth I. Juster
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| 25th United States Ambassador to India | |
| In office November 23, 2017 – January 20, 2021 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | MaryKay Carlson (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Donald Heflin (acting) |
| Deputy Director of the National Economic Council | |
| In office January 20, 2017 – June 7, 2017 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Adewale Adeyemo |
| Succeeded by | Everett Eissenstat |
| Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security | |
| In office 2001–2005 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | William Alan Reinsch |
| Succeeded by | David McCormick |
| Counselor of the United States Department of State | |
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Acting
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| In office 1992–1993 |
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| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Robert B. Zoellick |
| Succeeded by | Tim Wirth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 24, 1954 New York City, U.S. |
| Relatives | Norton Juster (uncle) |
| Education | Harvard University (BA, MPP, JD) |
Kenneth Ian Juster (born November 24, 1954) is an American diplomat who worked for the U.S. government for many years. He was the United States Ambassador to India from 2017 to 2021. An ambassador is a country's official representative in another country.
Juster has had a long career, working in government, law, business, and international relations for over 40 years. Besides being an ambassador, he also served as a special assistant to the president for international economic affairs. He was also an Under Secretary of Commerce, helping with business and national security. In the private sector, he worked for a global investment company and a software company.
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Early Life and School
Kenneth Juster was born in New York City. His father, Howard H. Juster, was an architect, and his mother, Muriel Juster, was a high school teacher. His uncle, Norton Juster, was a famous architect and author who wrote popular books like The Phantom Tollbooth.
Juster grew up in Scarsdale, New York. When he was in junior high school, he and two friends interviewed Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from the band The Rolling Stones for their school newspaper in 1966. He graduated from Scarsdale High School in 1972. While there, he was the president of the Honor Society and studied abroad in Thailand.
He went to Harvard College and earned a degree in Government in 1976. He then completed a special program at Harvard Law School and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, earning two more degrees in 1980.
Career Highlights
Starting His Career
Juster began working for the U.S. government in 1978 as an intern at the National Security Council. After finishing law school, he worked as a law clerk for a judge.
From 1981 to 1989 and again from 1993 to 2001, Juster worked as a lawyer at Arnold & Porter. He handled international legal cases and helped companies with legal advice. One important case involved representing the government of Panama against a difficult leader. His work helped the U.S. place sanctions on that leader, who was later removed from power. For his efforts, the President of Panama gave Juster a special medal.
Working for President George H. W. Bush
From 1989 to 1993, Juster worked at the United States Department of State. He helped set up programs to assist countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union after the Soviet Union broke apart. He also helped organize the first international meeting to discuss aid for these new countries.
Juster was also part of a small team that traveled to Israel during the first Gulf War to talk about Israel's role in the conflict. When he finished his time at the State Department, he received the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award, which is the highest honor from that department. He also received an award from Germany for his work in U.S.-German relations.
Working for President George W. Bush
From 2001 to 2005, Juster served as the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce. In this role, he managed issues where business and national security met. This included controlling the export of sensitive U.S. goods and technologies to other countries.
He also helped create the U.S.–India High Technology Cooperation Group, which improved cooperation between the two countries in technology. His work was very important in strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and India, especially leading to a historic agreement on civil nuclear energy. He received an award for his contributions to U.S.-India relations.
Juster also worked on agreements with China to make sure U.S. technology exports were secure. He also helped improve export controls in major shipping hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore. After his term, he received the Secretary of Commerce's highest honor.
Technology and Finance Roles
From 2005 to 2010, Juster was an executive at Salesforce, a big software company. He helped the company grow internationally, including expanding its business in Japan and setting up operations in India. He also worked on policies related to privacy and data security.
From 2010 to 2017, Juster was a partner at Warburg Pincus, a global investment firm. He focused on global public policy and how world events might affect the firm's investments.
Working for President Donald Trump
From January to June 2017, Juster was a special assistant to the president for international economic affairs. He helped coordinate the U.S. government's international economic policies. He also helped start economic discussions between the U.S. and Japan, and the U.S. and the United Kingdom. He was the president's main negotiator for the G7 summit in Italy.
In May 2017, President Trump chose Juster to be the next United States Ambassador to India. The U.S. Senate approved his nomination in November 2017, and he officially became the 25th U.S. Ambassador to India on November 23, 2017.
As Ambassador, Juster led the third-largest U.S. mission in the world, which included the embassy in Delhi and consulates in other Indian cities. He managed about 2,500 employees from various U.S. government departments. He also oversaw the U.S. relationship with the Kingdom of Bhutan, even though the U.S. does not have formal diplomatic ties with Bhutan. He created the first-ever Office of Bhutan Affairs at the Embassy.
During his time as Ambassador, Juster worked with India on many important issues, including defense, trade, energy, science, and technology. He helped develop the U.S. government's strategy for the Indo-Pacific region and helped restart the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. He also hosted a visit from the U.S. president in February 2020.
In diplomacy, the U.S. and India agreed on the idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. They also started an annual meeting between their foreign and defense ministers, holding three such meetings during Juster's time. In these meetings, they signed important defense agreements to share sensitive information and help their militaries work together.
In defense, the U.S. and India increased their military exercises. Juster started the first-ever joint exercise called Tiger Triumph in 2019. In 2020, Australia joined the Malabar naval exercise for the first time since 2007, alongside India, Japan, and the U.S. Also, the Indian military bought over $3.5 billion worth of U.S. military equipment, including helicopters and artillery.
In fighting terrorism, the U.S. and India worked more closely together. They started a dialogue to coordinate on identifying terrorist individuals and groups. They also began a Defense Cyber Dialogue to share best practices in cybersecurity.
In business and trade, trade between the two countries reached new highs. Two-way trade in goods and services grew from $114 billion in 2016 to over $146 billion in 2019. This made the U.S. India's top trading partner. In 2018, the U.S. government gave India a special trade status (STA-1), which allowed India to access many highly-regulated U.S. technology items.
Energy was another key part of the economic relationship. The two countries launched a Strategic Energy Partnership in 2018. India became a major buyer of U.S. coal, crude oil, and natural gas.
Cooperation in health and science also made great progress. The U.S.-India Health Dialogue met in 2019, leading to successful cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists from both countries worked together to develop and test vaccines and treatments.
Juster also led the U.S. mission in India through the COVID-19 pandemic, helping over 5,800 Americans return home from India. He also helped start India's Antimicrobial Resistance Hub in Kolkata in 2019, which helps fight against germs that are resistant to medicines.
He also worked on cultural diplomacy. He helped restore beautiful murals at the Ambassador's residence. In sports, he made a fun video in 2019 featuring trick basketball shots to welcome the National Basketball Association (NBA) to India for its first-ever exhibition games.
Juster also met with the Tibetan community in India, including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He was the main guest at the Dalai Lama's 85th birthday celebration.
For his service as ambassador, Juster received top honors from several U.S. government agencies, including the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award and the Department of Defense's Distinguished Public Service Award.
Juster Fellowships
Kenneth Juster believes that studying and working abroad, as well as internships, can greatly impact a person's life. To help other students have similar opportunities, he created three special funds at Harvard University.
In 2010, he set up two fellowship funds. One is for undergraduate students to do research and travel related to international issues. The other supports master's students studying international affairs. These programs help many students each year. In 2022, he created a third fund for law students at Harvard, giving them chances for hands-on learning experiences.
Awards and Honors
Juster has received many awards for his work, including:
- U.S. Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award and Medal (2020, 1993)
- U.S. Department of Defense's Distinguished Public Service Award and Medal (2021)
- U.S. Director of National Intelligence's Exceptional Service Award and Medal (2020)
- U.S. Department of Energy's Excellence Award (2020)
- National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) Global Catalyst Award (2020)
- The Luxury League (India) Award for Outstanding Contributions Toward Cultural Diplomacy (2019)
- Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit from the president of Germany (2006)
- Secretary of Commerce's William C. Redfield Award and Medal (2005)
- Vasco Núñez de Balboa en el Grado de Gran Cruz Decoration and Medal from the president of Panama (2004)
- Blackwill Award from the U.S.-India Business Council (2004)
- Friendship Award from the U.S.-Panama Business Council (2004, 2002)
- Distinguished Alumnus of Scarsdale High School (2007)
- Distinguished Alumnus of Greenacres Elementary School (2010)
Personal Life
Kenneth Juster is married to Alyssa Bliss Juster, who is a lawyer and interior designer. He has two stepdaughters, Julia and Ana.
