The United States Consulate General in Tijuana has announced the appointment of Lance Hegerle as its new Consul General, effective August 3, 2026. Hegerle will serve a three-year term overseeing U.S. diplomatic operations across the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur.
A career foreign service officer with 27 years of experience at the U.S. Department of State, Hegerle arrives in Tijuana following a high-profile assignment as director of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia. He had previously held the deputy director position for the same section.
Hegerle’s extensive diplomatic career spans multiple regions and disciplines. He has served as political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua, political-economic counselor in Uruguay, INL director in Panama, political-military officer in Guatemala, and political security officer in Argentina. He was also the deputy director of the Office of Central American Affairs, chief of the Political Section at the Office of Cuban Affairs, and political advisor to U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command. He also represented the United States on the Spanish-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Badghis, Afghanistan, and began his State Department career as a consular officer in Lagos, Nigeria.
A native of Escondido, California, Hegerle knows intimately the cross-border dynamics of the Tijuana-San Diego region. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in international relations from San Diego State University (SDSU), as well as a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Air War College. He will be accompanied in his new post by his wife, Florencia Hegerle, and their three daughters.
Hegerle succeeds Christopher Teal, who completed his tenure as Consul General.
