Matthew Hurley, the latest senior U.S. Foreign Service officer to land in Guadalajara, looks set to be a busy man over the next three years.
As consular section chief and deputy principal officer, Hurley will stand in for Consul General Tayna Anderson whenever required. He will also manage a large staff embracing the consulate’s two most hectic areas: the issuing of visas and services to American citizens.
Hurley will call on 18 years of experience in consular affairs as he runs the rule over a diplomatic mission that handles 320,000 visa applications a year and caters to one of the largest communities of expatriate Americans anywhere on the planet.
Hurley began his career as a public interest lawyer working for public defenders, as well as providing legal services to homeless people. He joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1998 and was sent to Monterrey in northern Mexico for his first posting. He has subsequently served in London, Guatemala, San Salvador, Athens and Montreal, as well as spells in Washington D.C.
Stressing that attending to Americans living in or visiting the region is one of the consulate’s main priorities, Hurley urges his fellow citizens to register online with the consulate if they plan to be here for any period of time.
“This facilitates communication with us to them individually,” he says. “Everyone who registers with us will be the recipient of any email that goes around regarding security or a weather warning such as a hurricane. It will also be easier for them to replace a passport if they loose it.”
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