William Leaf:
CLASS OF 1979
Appleton West High SchoolClass of 1979
Appleton, WI
Shawano High SchoolClass of 1979
Shawano, WI
Einstein Junior High SchoolClass of 1976
Appleton, WI
Franklin Middle SchoolClass of 1975
Shawano, WI
Lincoln Elementary SchoolClass of 1972
Shawano, WI
William's Story
Spent 26 years in the Air Force as a Russian Linguist and Arms Control Specialist. My last assignment was to the US Embassy in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan where I met my beautiful wife, Ejesha.
[added 31 August 2025] Ambassador William R. Leaf, assumed his duties as Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat on 4 August 2025, succeeding Ambassador John MacGregor. A seasoned American diplomat and international security expert with over 30 years of experience, Ambassador Leaf brings deep regional expertise and a strong commitment to advancing cooperative security and stability in Central Asia.
Ambassador Leaf’s OSCE career spans more than a decade, including senior roles in both Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Since 2020, he has led the Politico-Military Dimension in the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, acting as a key interlocutor with Turkmenistan’s minis...Expand for more
tries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, and National Security. His portfolio included confidence- and security-building measures, arms control, and countering transnational threats. He has also served as Acting Head of Mission, supporting high-level diplomatic engagements and policy implementation.
From 2013 to 2018, he held multiple leadership roles at the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, including Head of the Politico-Military Dimension and Senior Field Representative for the country’s southern provinces.
Prior to his work with the OSCE, Ambassador Leaf served in several roles with the U.S. Government in Turkmenistan, including as Assistant Defence Attaché and Export Control and Border Security (EXBS) Advisor.
Ambassador Leaf is married with four children and seven grandchildren. He speaks Russian, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, German, and Italian.
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