President Obama late last week nominated career diplomat John Francis Tefft as ambassador to the Russian Federation. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2009 to 2013 and as the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia from 2005 to 2009. Since 2013 Tefft has been executive director of the RAND Business Leaders Forum at the RAND Corporation. The head post in Moscow has been vacant since former ambassador Michael McFaul resigned earlier this year.