Marcia Bernicat

Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat (born 1953) is a US diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Bangladesh who is the nominee of President Joe Biden to serve as Director General of the Foreign Service. She was nominated by President Obama May 2014 and confirmed by the Senate on November 18, 2014. She served as Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau from 2008 to 2011. From January 1, 2019, to April 3, 2020, she was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the Department of State.[3]

Marcia Bernicat
Director General of the Foreign Service
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentJoe Biden
SucceedingCarol Z. Perez
Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs[1]
In office
August 6, 2021 – September 28, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJonathan M. Moore
Succeeded byMonica Medina
Acting Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment[1]
In office
January 20, 2021 – August 5, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byKeith J. Krach
Succeeded byJose W. Fernandez
United States Ambassador to Bangladesh
In office
February 4, 2015 – November 2, 2018[2]
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded byDan Mozena
Succeeded byEarl R. Miller
United States Ambassador to Senegal
In office
August 6, 2008 – June 2011
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byJanice L. Jacobs
Succeeded byLewis Lukens
United States Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau
In office
August 6, 2008 – June 2011
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byJanice L. Jacobs
Succeeded byLewis Lukens
Personal details
Born1953 (age 68–69)
Spouse(s)Olivier Bernicat
Alma materLafayette College
Georgetown University

Early life and education

Bernicat was born in 1953 [4] and grew up in Tinton Falls, N.J. and graduated from Monmouth Regional High School [5] In 1975 she earned a B.A. from Lafayette College, where she majored in history. Through work with her mentor and thesis advisor, she became particularly interested in the League of Nations and the relationship between the United States and the United Nations. She earned an M.S. from Georgetown University in 1980.[6][7]

Career

Bernicat began her career working in a managerial position at Procter & Gamble in Staten Island, NY.[4]

In 1982, Bernicat began her career as a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. embassy in Bamako, the capital of Mali. She served as consular officer at the U.S. consulate general in Marseille, France from 1984 to 1986. From 1986 to 1989 she held position in the U.S., but successive moves after that had her assigned in India, Morocco, Malawi and Barbados. From 2006 to 2008 she was office director for several Asian countries. In that role she was engaged in negotiations to supply India with non-military nuclear materials. She was nominated by George W. Bush in 2008 to be U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.[7]

From 2012 to 2014 Bernicat served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State. In 2014 she was nominated and confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh. She spoke with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about Bangladesh, noting that it is the eighth largest country in the world by population and third largest Muslim majority nation. Bangladesh, she observed, is known for traditions that are moderate and pluralistic.[8]

On April 15, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Bernicat to serve as the Director General of the Foreign Service.[9] On April 28, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate.[10] On September 15, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.[11] On October 19, 2021, her nomination was reported favorably out of committee.[12] Her nomination is pending before the full United States Senate.

Personal

In addition to English, Bernicat speaks French, Hindi and Russian.[7] She is married to Olivier Bernicat and they have two children.[5][13]

See also

References
  1. "Marcia Bernicat".
  2. "New US ambassador-designate arrives in Dhaka". www.thedailystar.net. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  3. "Marcia Bernicat Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs". US Department of State. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  4. Department of State, Office of the Historian
  5. Madame Ambassador Lafayette Magazine, Spring 2011
  6. U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh U.S. Department of State, accessed March 6, 2016
  7. Bernicat, Marcia U.S. Department of State, accessed March 6, 2016
  8. Bernicat: Jan 5 election was undeniably flawed Dhaka Tribune, July 19, 2014
  9. "President Biden Announces His Intent to Nominate Key Administration Leaders in the State Department". The White House. 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  10. "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  11. "PN492 - Nomination of Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  12. "SFRC APPROVES 33 CRITICAL FOREIGN POLICY NOMINATIONS" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  13. Congressional record Congress, May 20, 2008
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.