Farai Mabeza
American House Foreign Affairs sub-committee on Africa chairperson Congresswoman Karen Bass has congratulated the US’ former top diplomat overseeing African Affairs in the Obama administration, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on her nomination as the country’s next ambassador to the United Nations.
The United States’ President-elect, Joe Biden, announced today he will be officially nominating Thomas-Greenfield to be his top diplomat to the United Nations.
“To know Linda is to know an incredibly smart, caring, and insightful diplomat dedicated to bettering this country and the relationships our country has with others throughout the world.
“Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s experience on the international stage commands deserved respect from all corners of the world. She brings 35 years of foreign service experience to the role including overseeing the Bureau of African Affairs during the Obama administration and serving as Director General of the Foreign Service, in which she led a team in charge of the State Department’s 70,000-strong workforce,” Bass said in a statement.
Bass narrated how she has worked extensively with Thomas-Greenfield, travelling to Africa together many times and how the incoming ambassador has spoken regarding opportunities and growth on the continent.
“What adds to her record is her work and reputation beyond our borders. She’s served this country all over the world including in Switzerland, Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, Jamaica and most recently, Liberia”.
Retired ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, a career diplomat, is returning to public service after retiring from a 35-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service in 2017. From 2013 to 2017 she served as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, where she led the bureau focused on the development and management of U.S. policy toward sub-Saharan Africa.
Prior to this appointment, she served as director general of the foreign service and director of human resources (2012-2013), leading a team in charge of the State Department’s 70,000-strong workforce.
Since 2017, Thomas-Greenfield has led the Africa Practice at Albright Stonebridge Group, a strategic commercial diplomacy firm chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She was also the inaugural Distinguished Resident Fellow in African Studies at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy from fall 2017 to spring 2019.
She joined ISD in spring 2017 as a Senior State Department Fellow. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield earned a B. site fiable viagra A. from Louisiana State University and a M.A. from the University of Wisconsin, where she worked towards a PhD. She received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Wisconsin in May 2018.
Bass is a fifth term national congressmember from California.
