Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Linda Thomas-Greenfield (born November 22, 1952) is an American diplomat who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the United States Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs from 2013 to 2017. Following her work as a diplomat, Thomas-Greenfield became a senior vice president at Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington, D.C.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyJeffrey Prescott (nominee)
SucceedingRichard M. Mills Jr. (acting)
18th Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
In office
August 6, 2013 – March 10, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
DeputyRobert P. Jackson[1]
Preceded byJohnnie Carson
Succeeded byTibor P. Nagy
Director General of the United States Foreign Service
In office
April 2, 2012 – August 2, 2013
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byNancy Powell
Succeeded byArnold Chacón
United States Ambassador to Liberia
In office
July 18, 2008 – February 29, 2012
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byDonald Booth
Succeeded byDeborah R. Malac
Personal details
Born (1952-11-22) November 22, 1952
Baker, Louisiana, U.S.
Spouse(s)Lafayette Greenfield[2]
Children2
EducationLouisiana State University (BA)
University of Wisconsin, Madison (MPA)

President Joe Biden has nominated her to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Early life and education

Thomas-Greenfield was born in Baker, Louisiana. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in 1974 and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1975.[3][4]

Career

Thomas-Greenfield taught political science at Bucknell University before joining the Foreign Service in 1982.[5]

She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (2004–2006), Ambassador to Liberia (2008–2012), and Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources (2012–2013).[6][7] In addition, Thomas-Greenfield held foreign postings in Switzerland (at the United States Mission to the United Nations), Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Jamaica.[8]

From 2013 to 2017, she served as the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the United States Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs.[9][10]

Thomas-Greenfield is a non-resident fellow at Georgetown University, having been the distinguished resident fellow in African Studies from fall 2017 to spring 2019.[11]

In 2017 she was terminated by the Trump administration as part of a "purge of senior State Department officials and career professionals over nearly four years", according to the Los Angeles Times.[12]

In November 2020, Thomas-Greenfield was named a volunteer member of President-elect Joe Biden's agency review team to support transition efforts related to the United States Department of State.[13][12] As of November 2020, Thomas-Greenfield is on leave from a senior vice president position at Albright Stonebridge Group.[14] On November 24, Biden announced his plans to nominate her as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and to include her in his cabinet and National Security Council.[15][16] She appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on January 27, 2021.[17]

Ambassador-designate to the United Nations

During the confirmation hearing on her nomination for the U.N. ambasssador, Thomas-Greenfield said she regretted giving a speech to a Beijing-backed Confucius Institute in 2019 when she was working for a private consulting firm. She largely agreed with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on international policies, raising concerns about China's "malign force" and "debt traps and tactics" in Africa and beyond.[18][19] In February 2021, it was reported that Ted Cruz of Texas was delaying a committee vote on her nomination due to those comments on China.[20]

Thomas-Greenfield has vowed to "stand against the unfair singling out of Israel for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, saying that the movement "verges on antisemitism."[21]

Publications
  • Thomas-Greenfield, Linda (2001). "US refugee admissions history and policy". Refugee Survey Quarterly. 20 (2): 165–169. doi:10.1093/rsq/20.2.165. ISSN 1020-4067.
  • Thomas-Greenfield, Linda; Wharton, D. Bruce (2019). "Zimbabwe's Coup: Net Gain or No Gain?". Military Review.
  • Thomas-Greenfield, Linda; Burns, William J. (2020). "The Transformation of Diplomacy: How to Save the State Department". Foreign Affairs. 99 (6).

References
  1. "Biographies: Principals". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on January 22, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  2. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/veteran-diplomat-linda-thomas-greenfield-returns-bidens-pick/story?id=74408696
  3. "Honorary Doctorate Recognizes Career in International Diplomacy". International Division. University of Wisconsin–Madison. May 12, 2018. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  4. "Linda Thomas-Greenfield". Foreign Policy for America. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  5. "Linda Thomas-Greenfield". About Us. Albright Stonebridge Group. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield taught political science at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.
  6. "Appointments and Resignations - Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs: Who Is Linda Thomas-Greenfield?". AllGov - News. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  7. "Thomas-Greenfield, Linda (1952- )". The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  8.  This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Department of State document: "Linda Thomas-Greenfield".
  9. "Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs". Department of State. Archived from the original on January 21, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  10. Morello, Carol (March 2, 2017). "That drip-drip is the sound of two more senior diplomats leaving Foggy Bottom". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  11. "Ambassador (ret.) Linda Thomas-Greenfield". School of Foreign Service. Georgetown University. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  12. "Biden looks to rehire diplomats and others fired by Trump to rebuild the State Department". The Los Angeles Times. November 20, 2020. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  13. "Agency Review Teams". President-Elect Joe Biden. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  14. "Linda Thomas-Greenfield". Albright Stonebridge Group. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  15. Michael Crowley and Jeanna Smialek (November 23, 2020). "Biden Will Nominate First Women to Lead Treasury and Intelligence, and First Latino to Run Homeland Security". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020. Biden will also nominate Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be ambassador to the United Nations and restore the job to cabinet-level status, giving Ms. Thomas-Greenfield, who is African-American, a seat on his National Security Council.
  16. Zilbermints, Regina (November 23, 2020). "Biden picks Linda Thomas-Greenfield for US envoy to UN". TheHill. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  17. "What Linda Thomas-Greenfield's hearing says about US leadership at UN". Devex.com. January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  18. Mauldin, William (January 28, 2021). "Biden Pick for U.N. Envoy Expresses Regret for China Speech". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  19. Feng, John (January 28, 2021). "Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Biden's U.N. pick, says she regrets positive China speech in Senate grilling". Newsweek. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  20. Bade, Gavin (February 2, 2021). "Cruz delays vote on U.N. nominee Thomas-Greenfield as impeachment trial looms". POLITICO. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  21. "BDS verges on Antisemitism, Biden's pick for US Envoy says". January 27, 2021.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Donald Booth		 United States Ambassador to Liberia
2008–2012		 Succeeded by
Deborah R. Malac
Preceded by
Nancy Powell		 Director General of the Foreign Service
2012–2013		 Succeeded by
Arnold Chacón
Government offices
Preceded by
Donald Yamamoto		 Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
2013–2017		 Succeeded by
Peter Barlerin
Acting
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