About the Corps
Formation of the North Carolina Corps:
The North Carolina Consular Corps was formed in 2003 by Catherine Hansen. Supported by the Office of Foreign Missions, Ms. Hansen sought to bring 12 honorary consulates together for the first time in the state’s history. Drawing from her background as Chief of Protocol for the city of Charlotte, she led the corps through its nascent stages to the present where it now includes over 25 career and honorary consuls. In 2017, the corps incorporated as a 501 C (6) entity. Ms. Hansen continues her involvement as the Chief of Protocol for the corps.
What is a Consular Corps?
A consular corps is an organization whose membership consists of foreign country representatives that reside in its territory, which can be as small as a city or as large as a state. Country representatives can include full-time diplomats and consuls, part-time honorary consuls and trade representatives, and more. A consular corps collectively represents its members when forging relationships with state and local governments and key institutions in order to promote multilateral relations and to facilitate its members' duties in the territory.
What are Diplomats and Consuls?
Diplomats and consuls, whether career or honorary, are official representatives that are appointed by the head of state or foreign minister of a foreign government to represent the country's interests abroad, as well as to protect the rights and look after the well-being of the foreign country's citizens that are traveling or living abroad. When these representatives are deployed to the USA, they are accredited by the US Department of State and protected by certain immunities while carrying out their duties. Only consuls accredited by the US Department of State are considered members of the North Carolina Consular Corps.
Career diplomats and consuls are full-time employees of the foreign government they represent and typically on rotational assignment for a limited time under a special visa. Career diplomats typically focus on creating bi-lateral relations in the fields of politics, commerce, culture, science, technology, academia, military, and more. Career diplomats have various ranks that range from attaché to Ambassador. Career consuls typically focus primarily on matters pertaining to the citizens of the country they represent, and among other duties handle visa, citizenship, and immigration inquiries. Career diplomats and consuls work at embassies and consulates general that cover a larger jurisdiction. Embassies are the highest ranking foreign posts and cover the entire territory of the host country, sometimes even adjacent countries. Consulates general report to an embassy and divide the embassy's territory into geographic regions.
Honorary consuls are part-time representatives that have been recruited by a foreign government to carry out a range of duties in a specific jurisdiction. Honorary consuls are citizens or permanent residents of the host country and typically serve longer terms without the requirements of visas. The need for honorary consuls arises when a foreign government's embassy or consulate general cannot properly attend to all affairs in a particular jurisdiction due to a large diaspora or strategic plans that require increased local activity. The scope of honorary consuls varies by country. Some are limited to strictly consular affairs while others take on responsibilities to forge or facilitate bi-lateral relations across the board. Honorary consuls report to the embassy or consulate general whose jurisdiction covers the honorary consul's assigned territory.
The North Carolina Consular Corps is an Affiliate Member of the Consular Corps College:
Our Emeritus Members
Louis Boisvert
Consul General, Canada
Armando Ortiz-Rocha
Consul General, Mexico
María de los Remedios Gómez Arnau
Consul General, Mexico
Javier Díaz de León
Consul General, Mexico
Scott Cutler
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Canada
Ralph Daetwyler
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Estonia
Steven Howard Kropp
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Guatemala
Karen Kropp
Honorary Vice Consul Emeritus, Guatemala
Alejandra Juno Rodríguez Villar
Honorary Vice Consul Emeritus, Spain
Heinz Roth
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Switzerland
Laura Meyer Wellman
Honorary Consul Emeritus, France
Millie Dalton Cox
Honorary Consul Emeritus, France (1991-2011)
6503 Sharon Hills Road, Charlotte, NC 28211
(704) 622-6305; milliedcox@gmail.com
Rafael Lopez Barrantes
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Spain
Anna Blomdahl
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Sweden
Takey Crist
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Cyprus
William Fenn
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Japan
John L. Atkins, III
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Japan
Robert Friedl
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Austria
Amb. David Funderburk
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Romania
Dana Hicks
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Canada
Heinz Roth
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Switzerland
Kurt Walthausen
Honorary Consul Emeritus, Germany
