7. Hersey Kyota
Hersey Kyota is a Palauan politician and diplomat who has served as the ambassador of Palau to the United States since 1997.
He is the current Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Washington, D.C., as the longest-serving ambassador to the United States.
Prior to his appointment as ambassador, Kyota was the chief clerk for the House of Delegates in the Palau National Congress, and director of the House Legal Counsels’ Office in Palau.
From 1990 to 1996, he served a senator in the Palau National Congress, and sat on the Board of Directors for the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures from 1992 to 1996. He has occasionally represented Palau in the United Nations.
Kyota received his bachelor’s degree and master of arts degree from International University in San Diego. He is married and has five children