David Burger served as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State for 32 years before retiring in 2025. He was deputy chief of mission (second in command) at U.S. embassies in Iraq, Greece, and Slovenia; and was also posted to Afghanistan, North Macedonia, Turkey, Finland, Singapore, and Pakistan—in addition to four tours in Washington.  He has studied a range of languages, including Macedonian, Turkish, Finnish, and Urdu.

Over the span of his career, David developed expertise in the Balkan peninsula, European integration, NATO, and counterterrorism.  While serving as deputy director in the State Department office responsible for the Balkans, he successfully led a significant U.S. push for the European Union to accept Croatia as a member.  As chargé d’affaires (acting ambassador) in Slovenia, he secured generators from the U.S. military and USAID to provide relief when a freak ice storm left half the country without power in the dead of winter. In North Macedonia in the late 2000s, David led the effort to ensure peaceful elections following significant violence during voting in 2008.  He also played a major role in completing the demarcation of the Kosovo-North Macedonia border, helping North Macedonia become the first former Yugoslav country to achieve fully recognized borders.  David received the prestigious Presidential Rank Award and is a six-time recipient of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award. In addition to his public service, David is a huge fan of tennis and word games.