Cekuta joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1978 and his early assignments included Vienna, Austria; Baghdad, Iraq; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Sana'a, Yemen.

He also directed a task force in Kosovo during the conflict there and served in the Bureau of Near East and South Asian Affairs.

In 1999, he was senior advisor to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and in 2000 he was named director of Economic Policy Analysis and Public Diplomacy in the State Department.

[5] One of his more prominent roles involved working with the jewelry industry on compliance with regulations on conflict diamonds and gold.

[3] In this capacity, he acted as a point man for the State Department's views on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.