As of June 25, Courtney Beale became the new Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Merida, Yucatán.
Previously, she was the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Prior to Havana, she served as Senior Director of the Global Engagement Office and Special Assistant to the President at the National Security Council.
Ms. Beale served in overseas assignments in Monterrey, Mexico; Islamabad, Pakistan; Bogota, Colombia; and New Delhi, India. In Washington, she was the Office Director for Strategic Planning in the Public Affairs Bureau, a Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, and a member of the Line in the Executive Secretariat.
Ms. Beale graduated with a Masters in Public Policy from Princeton University and a Bachelors of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
On Thursday July 19, during a meeting with governor Rolando Zapata, Courtney Beale declared that: “Yucatan and the United States have maintained a fruitful relationship, which we will continue to promote, in order to strengthen the link between the authorities and the people of both countries”.
In the meeting held at the Government Palace, the diplomat, who replaced David Micó in office 25 days ago, stressed that the territory has become an attractive space for American companies because in Yucatan there are many opportunities for investment.
“There is a good connection between Mexico and the United States, and the link with Yucatan in particular is very important, that is why we have the commitment to strengthen cooperation in different sectors, mainly in the area of security, to consolidate that bond that unites our governments and people”, Beale emphasized.
The official highlighted the extraordinary work that the state administration has done in the last six years to promote the economic growth of Yucatan.
Accompanied by the General Coordinator of Advisors of the state Executive Power, Eric Rubio Barthell, Zapata Bello recalled that the relationship between Yucatan and the United States has been consolidated through links with educational institutions such as the Universities of Michigan, Texas A & M, Arizona and Miami, with which it collaborates on issues such as tropical diseases, maritime studies on tides, climate change and sustainability, as well as on innovation and technological development.
“Within the Government’s vision, the promotion of the economic growth of Yucatan was a fundamental piece and for this we focused on supporting important sectors such as tourism, agro-industry and a new industrial generation that, with the creation of the Special Economic Zone (EEZ), has placed our state in a national leadership role”, the governor said.
Rolando Zapata and Courtney Beale (Photo: La Verdad)
Regarding security, Zapata Bello stressed the support, accompaniment and assistance that the U.S. has always provided through different mechanisms of cooperation and training, which favor the climate of peace and tranquility that is experienced.
After talking about the strategic works carried out during his tenure, such as the Palacio de la Música and the International Congress Center (CIC) Powered by Samsung, Rolando Zapata pointed out that his administration will always serve as a link between different actors in the Yucatecan society and the diplomatic representation of the United States, to continue with the strengthening of this relationship.
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