Gregory B. Starr

Gregory B. Starr (born February 3, 1953) is an American diplomat and the former Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security. He was previously the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security. He was selected by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on May 6, 2009.[3]

Gregory B. Starr
Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security
In office November 18, 2013 – January 20, 2017 Acting: February 1, 2013 – November 19, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	Bill A. Miller[1]
Preceded by	Eric Boswell
Succeeded by	Bill A. Miller (Acting)
In office November 1, 2007 – July 8, 2008 Acting
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Richard Griffin
Succeeded by	Eric Boswell
Director of the Diplomatic Security Service
In office February 1, 2013 – November 19, 2013 Acting
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Scott Bultrowicz
Succeeded by	Bill Miller
In office April 2007 – May 6, 2009
President	George W Bush
Preceded by	Joe Morton
Succeeded by	Patrick Donovan (Acting)
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security
In office May 6, 2009 – January 11, 2013
Secretary-General	Ban Ki-Moon
Preceded by	David Veness
Succeeded by	Kevin Kennedy (Acting)
Personal details
Born	Gregory Bowne Starr[2] (1953-02-03) February 3, 1953
Alma mater	George Washington University

Prior to his appointment with the United Nations, Starr was the Director of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary within Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) from March 1, 2007. Starr also served as the acting Assistant Secretary of State for DS from October 2007 to July 2008. Starr became a Special Agent and joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1980.

His overseas assignments include Senior Regional Security Officer (RSO) at the U.S. Embassy to Israel (1997–2000), and Regional Security Officer positions in Tunisia, Senegal and Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). His awards include several Senior Foreign Service Performance and Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards.

In January 2013 Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced the interim replacement for Mr. Starr. Mr. Starr's pending departure had been announced the previous August.[4]

On February 1, 2013 it was announced that Mr. Starr has again assumed the responsibility of Director of the Diplomatic Security Service and will also serve as the acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

On July 31, 2013, President Obama announced that he was formally nominating Mr. Starr for Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.[5]

On November 27, 2018, several international media reported that a secret UN-report, chaired by Mr. Starr, about the killing of UN specialists Zaida Catalán and Michael Sharp in Congo march 2017, buried evidence suggesting that Congolese authorities may have been involved in the murder.