Gene Allan Cretz is a career diplomat, who is the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2012. Before this, he was the first U.S. Ambassador to Libya since 1972, after being nominated in July 2007 by President Bush. His nomination was confirmed by the US Senate on November 21, 2008. He was sworn-in as U.S. Ambassador to Libya by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on December 17, 2008, at the State Department. He arrived in Libya on December 27, 2008. Cretz speaks a number of languages, including Arabic, Dari, Urdu, and Chinese. President Barack Obama nominated him for the post to Ghana in April 2012. He was sworn-in as the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on September 11, 2012. 

April 20th, 1950 in Albany (Age 74)