Markell will be 39th US ambassador to Italy.

The new US ambassador to Italy and the Republic of San Marino, Jack Markell, arrived in Rome on Saturday accompanied by his wife Carla.

A former governor of Delaware, Markel was appointed to Italy by US president Joe Biden, filling a post left vacant for two and a half years.

News of Markell's imminent appointment in Rome was reported earlier this year by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Ambassador-designate Jack Markell's arrival in Italy and his first statement: "Is it an honor and a privilege for me to be here.
I want to forge the strongest possible ties between our countries and celebrate the centuries-old bonds that unite our peoples." … pic.twitter.com/vKQkCZslUk— Ambasciata U.S.A. (@AmbasciataUSA) August 26, 2023

Markell's predecessor in Rome, Lewis Eisenberg, nominated by former US president Donald Trump, completed his mandate in January 2021.

Since then, Washington has been represented in Italy by Chargé d'Affaires Shawn Crowley.

Ambassador-designate Markell, 62, comes to Rome after serving as US ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based role he has held since January 2022.

Ambassador-designate Jack Markell and his wife Carla dedicated their first day in Rome to visit the iconic masterpieces at the Galleria Borghese.

What do you suggest that the Ambassador-designate absolutely see in Italy? pic.twitter.com/LsaFwiTKsb— Ambasciata U.S.A. (@AmbasciataUSA) August 27, 2023

In 2021 Markell was the White House coordinator of Operation Allies Refuge which helped to evacuate Afghan civilians after the US military withdrew from Afghanistan.

An adviser and close friend of President Biden, Markell is a member of the Democratic Party and served two terms as governor of Delaware from 2009 to 2017.

Born in Newark in 1960, Markell is married to Carla Smathers with whom he has two children in their twenties.