William “West” Follmer

Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State

William “West” Follmer is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State and in 2023 will be joining U.S. Embassy Beijing to cover the climate change and environmental portfolio.  West’s previous Foreign Service assignments include serving as the China strategy and United Nations Coordinator for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs; serving as the Environment, Science, Technology, and Health Officer for Embassy Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and as a Consular Officer with U.S. Consulate Guangzhou, China.  Prior to joining the Foreign Service, West worked in the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour covering issues in Latin America and as an executive assistant to the Bureau’s Assistant Secretary of State. West holds a B.A. from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in History, a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Maryland in International Security and Economics Policy, and is proficient in Mandarin.