DURBAN - US President, Joe Biden, nominated Reuben Brigety, who currently served as an Adjunct Senior Fellow for African Peace and Security at the Council on Foreign Relations, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of South Africa.
On Friday, Biden announced his three nominees to serve as key leaders in his administration -- Reuben Brigety, nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of South Africa, MaryKay Carlson, nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of the Philippines and Elizabeth Shortino, nominee for United States Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund.
According to a statement issued by The White House, Brigety currently serves as an Adjunct Senior Fellow for African Peace and Security at the Council on Foreign Relations, and as a Member of the Board of Counsellors of McLarty Associates in Washington, D.C.
Brigety previously served as the vice-chancellor and president of the University of the South and the mayor of Sewanee, Tennessee.
During the Obama-Biden Administration, Brigety held several roles in the State Department, including deputy assistant secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration, deputy assistant secretary for African Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to the African Union and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
Earlier in his career, Brigety was the special assistant to the Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University, the largest school of international affairs in the United States.
He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
Brigety earned a B.Sc. from the U. S. Naval Academy, an M.Phil in International Affairs, and a PhD in International Affairs from the University of Cambridge in England. He is the author of numerous publications and speaks Spanish, French, and Amharic.
Reacting to his nomination, Brigety posted on his Twitter page:
“I am deeply honored to be officially nominated by President Joe Biden to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa. I look forward to the confirmation process in the United States Senate.”
I am deeply honored to be officially nominated by President Joe Biden to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa. I look forward to the confirmation process in the United States Senate. https://t.co/CMhQO53ON9
This is how some reacted to the news:
Thank you my friend for those incredibly kind words. You’ll find that @ReubenBrigety is a true friend of South Africa. No one one will work harder or smarter than him.
— Patrick Gaspard (@patrickgaspard) February 5, 2022
Welcome to #Mzansi Amb @ReubenBrigety & #DrLeelieSalaassie. In the words of Pres @BarackObama at #PresNelsonMandela's funeral, "There is a word in South Africa, #ubuntu!" I've no doubt you've heard of it. It's the key to unlock the hearts of many of our people. Read up on it.
Daily News