J.D. Bindenagel, Vice President for Community, Government, and International Affairs, manages and develops governmental and international relationships that support DePaul University’s mission to prepare students to influence and shape the world in which they live.

A former American ambassador and 28-year veteran of the U.S. diplomatic corps, Bindenagel was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1999 as U.S. Ambassador and Special Envoy for Holocaust issues. He was U.S. Chargé d’Affaires and deputy chief of mission in the U.S. Embassy in Germany. Bindenagel received the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award, the Commander’s Cross of the Federal Order of Merit from the President of Germany, and the Presidential Meritorious Service Award from President George W. Bush.

Bindenagel serves on the boards of numerous organizations including the Chicago Civic Federation, the International Visitors Center Chicago, and the Grant Park Conservancy. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Institute of Contemporary German Studies. Early in his career he served as director, Business-Government Programs for Rockwell International. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.