Pete Hoekstra became the 26th U.S. Ambassador to Canada on April 29, 2025. Before this, he served as Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party during the 2024 elections. He is also the President of Hoekstra Global Strategies and a Council for a Secure America board member. He served as Ambassador to the Netherlands during the first Trump Administration.
From 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra served as a Member of Congress representing Michigan’s 2nd District. He was the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2004 to 2007. He was a distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a Shillman Senior Fellow at the Investigative Project on Terrorism.
Earlier in his career, Hoekstra was a Senior Advisor at the law firms Dickstein Shapiro, Washington, D.C., and Greenberg Traurig, Washington, D.C. He was the Director of the Gentex Corporation and of the West Michigan Community Bank.
Hoekstra’s honors include the Hope College Distinguished Alumni Award, the Order of the House of Orange from the Netherlands, the Agency Seal Medal from the CIA, and the DNI National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal.
Hoekstra earned a Bachelor of Arts from Hope College, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan, and an Honorary Doctorate from Grand Valley State University.