He came to Montevideo from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, where he served as the State Department Faculty Advisor and taught a course entitled Strategy & Policy.  His previous assignments include Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia; Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs in Sofia, Bulgaria; Political-Military Affairs Officer in Prague, Czech Republic; Political Officer in Colombo, Sri Lanka; and Vice Consul in Merida, Mexico.

He served in Washington in the State Department Operations Center and the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. Mr. Freden received his commission as a Foreign Service Officer in 1990, and in 2012 he was promoted into the Senior Foreign Service.

Mr. Freden holds a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.  He completed his undergraduate studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, graduating with a degree in International Politics.  Before attending college, Mr. Freden served in the U.S. Air Force.  He is originally from California. His wife, Piedad, is a bacteriologist by training. They have two school-age children.