New U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands
Joseph V. Popolo, Jr. '89, a former member of the Boston College Board of Trustees and Board of Regents, was approved as the new ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands by the U.S. Senate on October 8.
He will formally assume the post in The Hague once he has presented his credentials to King Willem-Alexander, which is expected to transpire later this month. He succeeds Shefali Razdan Duggai, who served since 2022.
Popolo, 57, was nominated by the president in early January. During his Senate hearing, he identified trade, security cooperation, and emerging technologies as key priorities. A strategic U.S. ally, the Netherlands plays an important role in global trade, and with his extensive experience in business and global strategy, Popolo is expected to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties between the two nations.
“I admire the Dutch people and their longstanding partnership with the U.S.,” said Popolo during his testimony in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “As an entrepreneur, CEO, and philanthropist, I have focused on bridging differences, building consensus, and delivering results, and I am confident I will do the same in our relationship with the Netherlands if I’m confirmed. I look forward to the opportunity of building on the legacy of this great friendship and important alliance.”
The Netherlands, located in northwestern Europe, has been a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a unitary structure since 1848. With over 18 million people, the Netherlands is a founding member of NATO, the European Union, eurozone, the World Trade Organization, the G10, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Popolo, a Boston native, had been living in Texas and headed Charles and Potomac Capital, LLC, an investment company he founded that focuses on technology, healthcare, media, energy, and real estate businesses around the world. He is best known for his leadership at Freeman Company, a global provider of event marketing services, where he served as president from 2001 to 2008 and as CEO from 2008 to 2019. During his tenure, he oversaw the company’s international expansion and led it through substantial revenue growth.
Popolo and his wife, Christine, who served on the executive committee of Soaring Higher, BC’s $3-billion fundraising campaign, have supported a range of University initiatives, including the establishment of the Popolo Family Executive Directorship at the Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship, as well as the Popolo Family Running Back Football Scholarship, and the endowment of the Edward Connelly Offensive Coordinator position in 2025 in honor of his maternal grandfather. In 2022, Popolo and several alumni founded the Friends of the Heights, BC’s official NIL collective.
In 2018, he was awarded the John P. Curley 1913 Award for his volunteer efforts and support of BC Athletics.
Popolo’s family has longstanding connections to the University that extend beyond his trustee role. His maternal grandfather, Edward F. Connelly, was accepted by BC in 1929 and planned to play football, but was unable to attend due to family circumstances. Two of Connelly’s children, Helen and Edward Jr., graduated in 1967 and 1972, respectively. Popolo’s father received an MBA from BC in 1967.
The Popolos' three children graduated from the Carroll School of Management: Katherine (Kit) in 2020, and their sons, Joseph III (Buck), and Connor in 2023 and 2025, respectively.