University of Denver hires US ambassador to Iraq

DENVER — The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill, has been named the new dean of the University of Denver's School of International Studies.

The school announced Hill's appointment Thursday. He will begin Sept. 1.

Hill is retiring after serving more than 30 years in the Foreign Service. He has served as ambassador to Iraq since 2009 and will be replaced there by the current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Jim Jeffrey.

Hill was part of the U.S. negotiating team involved in the Bosnia peace settlement and was selected to lead the U.S. delegation to six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. A former Peace Corps volunteer, Hill also served as U.S. ambassador to Poland and Macedonia.