Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the appointment of His Excellency Ralph Thomas as the Ambassador of the Nation of Jamaica to the United States. Currently Ambassador to China, he will assume the position in September.

“I welcome His Excellency Ralph Thomas, who studied business and pursued a career in banking here in New York City, on his return to the United States as the Ambassador of Jamaica. With his extensive experience in international finance as Vice-President of the Bank of New York Mellon and with the Jamaica Financial Services Authority, the Urban Development Corporation, and the National Investment Board, Ambassador Thomas has the opportunity to build on the relationship between the United States and Jamaica by facilitating investment and encouraging collaboration on initiatives such as the development of renewable energy, for which President Obama has already pledged his support. As we celebrate the Fifty-Third Anniversary of the Independence of Jamaica, I remain committed to working with my colleagues in Congress, President Obama and the Department of State, and the Nation of Jamaica to contribute to the renewal of its economy and the aspirations of its people – in Jamaica and around the world – in the Twenty-First Century. I also want to thank His Excellency Dr. Stephen Vasciannie for his record of service on behalf of Jamaica. It was an honor to work with you.”

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the House of Representatives, a member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, as well as the Committee on Ethics and the Committee of Small Business. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.