US ambassador to leave on presidential inauguration day

LeVine hosted an all-night election watching party in the capital Bern on November 9 Keystone

The US ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Suzan G. LeVine, has announced that she will be leaving Switzerland for America on the same day the new US president will be sworn in. 

“I wanted to let you know that my family and I will be leaving Switzerland on January 20, 2017 and heading back to our beloved Seattle,” LeVine stated on her Facebook pageExternal link. 

It is the day when US president elect Donald Trump, will be sworn in as the 45^th president of the country.  LeVine did not give any reasons for the timing of her departure. 

“When administrations change, it is customary for ambassadors to submit their resignation,” the US embassy in Bern told swissinfo.ch on November 22.

The embassy also clarified that the current deputy chief of mission Tara Feret Erath, will “serve as Chargé d’Affaires until President-elect Donald Trump has appointed a new ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein”.

LeVine mentioned that she wanted to “make a difference” in the 64 days left as ambassador to Switzerland. A key focus area would be partnership on developing a Swiss-style apprentice-training model in the US. 

LeVine took on the mantle of the United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein in June 2014. She previously worked for Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, from 2009-2012. She also worked for the Expedia travel group. She studied English and engineering.

The ambassador was an active campaigner and fundraiser in Obama’s second run for the White House, raising between $450,000 and $1 million (CHF400,000 to CHF900,000).

LeVine succeeded Donald S. Beyer, who left his post in May 2013. The transition took a little over a year.