Augusta Twp. resident Joseph Cella approved as ambassador to Fiji

On Sept. 24, the U.S. Senate confirmed Joseph Cella of Augusta Township to be the ambassador to Fiji and four other Pacific island nations.
Senators voted 56-38 to approve Cella as ambassador to Fiji, an archipelago of more than 300 islands northeast of New Zealand, as well as the republics of Kiribati and Nauru, the kingdom of Tonga and Tuvalu.
Michigan Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Lansing and Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township voted no, along with most other Democrats in the chamber.
Cella was raised in Richmond, MI, in Macomb County, graduated from Hillsdale College, and lives in Augusta Township in Washtenaw County. He is married to Kristen Renee (Hemker) Cella and they have six children.
Cella led President Donald Trump campaign’s Catholic advisory council during the 2016 election. Trump nominated him to the posts in February 2018.
Cella founded the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in 2004 and has served as principal of a consulting firm, the Pontifex Group, since 2010.
He co-founded the Catholic advocacy organization Catholic Vote, which has grown to more than 700,000 members, according to a White House biography.