The time has come for Consul General Dorothy Ngutter to move on to her next assignment. It’s been a quick but productive three years since the well-loved diplomat arrived during the pandemic crisis.
“This has been a unique assignment,” Ngutter told La Jornada Maya. “The opportunity to lead this team and represent my country here has been an honor, and I will miss that. … I leave with satisfaction.”
Addressing a backlog in visa appointments, Ngutter assured that the consular team had worked well to meet growing service demand.
Despite challenges, the Consul General effectively managed programs to boost the digital economy in support of micro, small and medium-sized businesses and encouraged the arrival of US investment to the region. She has also been supportive of female entrepreneurs.
“We are proud to say that we have a program established in the United States called the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs, which has reached several countries,” she said. “We have been able to go from hand in hand with the private sector with companies like Amazon and UPS, which have supported us in expanding in various parts of the country; here on the Peninsula, we have supported around 240 women entrepreneurs with resources to help them manage their business.”
Helping women
The United States consulate worked with the Yucatecan Institute of Entrepreneurs to implement the Academy of Entrepreneurial Women program and other actions favoring artisans. It also allied with the UADY to support the teaching of English, increase academic exchanges, and promote Education USA, an advisory center for scholarships covering the entire peninsula. It also provides the opportunity to travel to the American Union to take courses in English.
Work in Quintana Roo was primarily focused on providing digital tools for businesses, with training led by Google, Meta, and Mastercard.
“It is important for the future to create a workforce trained to take advantage of everything that comes as an investment. Attracting investment is one part, but another is preparing the workforce to take advantage of its benefits,” she told the newspaper.
Ngutter explained that the work of the United States consulate is not only focused on economic development or security but also carries out actions favoring human rights, such as preventing human trafficking and sheltering victims.
What’s next
Her successor is reportedly Justen Thomas, a State Department veteran who most recently was attaché for education, entrepreneurship and the environment at the US Embassy in Madrid. He is due to arrive in August.
Thomas will likely have the pleasure of inaugurating the new high-tech US Consulate headquarters, which has been rising in slow motion at Via Montejo since before Ngutter arrived. After a groundbreaking ceremony by Ngutter’s predecessor, the complex was projected to open in 2023, but COVID slowed its progress considerably.
Ngutter will continue her diplomatic work first in Washington and then in Italy, although she promises always to hold Yucatán and cochinita pibil panuchos close to her heart.
