President Donald Trump announced that businessman Juan Pablo Segura will replace Michael Kozak as head of the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs [1].
The appointment shifts the leadership of the State Department office responsible for overseeing U.S. diplomatic relations across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Segura takes over a role previously held by Kozak, who had been serving in an interim capacity since January 2025 [1]. The transition replaces a career diplomat with a businessman in a key regional oversight position.
Kozak departs the role with a diplomatic career spanning more than 50 years [1]. His tenure in the interim position began early last year, bridging the gap in leadership for the Western Hemisphere portfolio.
The Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs manages critical bilateral ties, trade agreements, and security cooperation within the Americas. The move to install Segura signals a change in the administration's approach to managing these regional partnerships.
Details regarding Segura's specific priorities for the office were not provided in the announcement. The State Department has not yet detailed the timeline for the formal handover of duties between the outgoing interim head and the new appointee.
“Businessman Juan Pablo Segura will replace Michael Kozak as head of the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs.”
The replacement of a career diplomat with a businessman suggests a pivot toward a more corporate or transactional approach to diplomacy in the Western Hemisphere. By moving away from a leader with five decades of diplomatic experience, the administration may be seeking to disrupt traditional State Department protocols in favor of a leadership style aligned with the president's business background.
