Earlier assignments include as the Political and Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus; the Senior United Kingdom and Ireland Desk Officer at the State Department in Washington, D.C.; a Political Officer at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; a Political-Military Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq; the Human Rights Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece; a Consular Officer and Political-Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Melbourne, Australia; and as an Assistant Public Affairs Officer at the then U.S. Office in Pristina, Kosovo.   Before joining the State Department, Mr. Connell was a practicing attorney who served as a state prosecutor in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts for 8 years and in private practice for 4 years.  He was a law clerk for two years for the U.S. Department of Immigration and Naturalization Service in Philadelphia while in law school.

A native of Westford, Massachusetts, Mr. Connell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and English from Villanova University, where he was a member of the Boxing Team,  and a Juris Doctor from Villanova University School of Law, where he was a member of the Moot Court Board.  He speaks Greek, Albanian, Italian, and some Turkish, and is the recipient of several State Department Superior Honor awards and the 2015 Sinclaire Language Award for both Greek and Turkish.  In 2020, he was selected as the runner up for the Ryan Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy.  He is married to Hyrije Kryeziu Connell, who is originally from Prizren, Kosovo.