Melanie Harris Higgins
Melanie Harris Higgins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Ambassador to Burundi | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2020 | |
| President | Donald Trump Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Anne Casper |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Johns Hopkins University (B.A.) Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (M.A.) |
Melanie Harris Higgins is an American official at the United States Department of State; on November 18, 2020, she was confirmed to be the next United States Ambassador to Burundi.
Education
Higgins earned a Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University and an Master of Arts from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.[1]
Career
Higgins is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Counselor. During her two decades of service, Higgins served as the Acting Director and Acting Public Affairs Advisor for the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. She also held a number of other positions at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Jakarta, Indonesia, Canberra, Australia, and Yaounde, Cameroon. She has served as the Principal Officer of the United States Consulate General in Auckland, New Zealand and was the Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. She currently serves as Director of the Office of Central African Affairs at the State Department.[1]
Ambassadorship nomination
On May 1, 2020, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Higgins to be the next United States Ambassador to Burundi. On May 19, 2020, her nomination was sent to the Senate.[2] On November 18, 2020, her nomination was confirmed in the United States Senate by voice vote.[3]
Awards
In 2010, she received the Sinclaire Language Award from the American Foreign Service Association.[1][4]
Personal life
Higgins speaks French, Indonesian, and some Bosnian.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts" White House, May 1, 2020
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Seven Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate", The White House, May 19, 2020
- ^ "PN1906 - Nomination of Melanie Harris Higgins for Department of State, 116th Congress (2019-2020)". www.congress.gov. 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
- ^ "Past Sinclaire Award Winners". www.afsa.org. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
