The Principal Deputy High Representative, Ralph Johnson, a US diplomat, took up his duties with the OHR in July 1999. Between 1996 and1999 he was the US Ambassador to the Slovak Republic. Earlier, he was the Co-ordinator of all US assistance to Central and Eastern Europe, and worked on the development of policy towards this region with the US State Department's Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs (1991-1996). He was this Bureau's Director of the Office of European Regional Political and Economic Affairs between 1983 and 1985. His previous US Foreign Service posts include Bolivia, Poland and Guyana.