- Neenah High School teacher Eric Thiede is the only Wisconsinite among 110 people chosen as U.S. diplomats this year.
- Thiede spent 25 years teaching social studies in Wisconsin, with 13 years in Neenah and 12 in Kaukauna.
- After rigorous testing and interviews, Thiede will begin his diplomatic training in Washington, D.C., next week, preparing for a global assignment.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Out of 110 people chosen this year to represent the United States as diplomats, Eric Thiede, a social studies teacher at Neenah High School, is the only Wisconsinite to make the list.
Thiede, who has taught for 25 years — 13 years in Neenah and 12 in Kaukauna — learned in October that he had been selected to join the U.S. State Department as a diplomat.
“It’s an incredible honor to not only make it through the rigorous selection process but to now serve my country,” Thiede said. “I’ll have the chance to represent America and share the values I’ve learned here in Wisconsin — both in the classroom and in life — on a global stage.”