Thomas Hodges Assumes Duties as AIT's Spokesman and Public Affairs Section Chief

PR0710E | Date: 2007-03-01

Thomas Hodges assumed duties as the Spokesman and Public Affairs Section Chief for the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on March 1, 2007.

Prior to taking up his duties at AIT, Hodges served as a professional U.S. diplomat for over nineteen years.  His posts of assignment include Shenyang, China; Dakar, Senegal; Mumbai, India; and The Hague, the Netherlands; as well as various assignments in Washington, DC.  His most recent overseas assignment was as Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn, Estonia, during which time Estonia joined NATO and the European Union, and sent troops to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Hodges holds a Bachelor of Arts in European Studies from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a Master's of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University in Washington, DC (an institution run by the U.S. Department of Defense for senior-level military and civilian officers).  Hodges previously lived on Taiwan for one year studying Chinese.  In addition to Chinese, he speaks French, Dutch, German, and Estonian. 

Hodges was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee.  He is married and has two children.  He is delighted to be back on Taiwan and is looking forward to working with the academic and cultural communities, the media, and the many other sectors of Taiwan society he'll encounter in his new position.