Reuben Brigety is currently the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa. Born on September 07, 1973, in Jacksonville, Florida, Ambassador Brigety graduated as a Distinguished Midshipman from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1995 with a Bachelors in Political Science. He also holds a Masters in Philosophy, and a Ph.D in International Relations from the University of Cambridge in England.

Ambassador Brigety served as an active-duty U.S. Naval Officer assigned to the Pentagon, the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Defense and served in a variety of fleet staff positions. Brigety was a researcher for the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW) where he conducted research missions in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to 2003. Between 2003 and 2009, Brigety was the Assistant Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University and at American University. As a seasoned academic, Brigety worked at The George Washington University as the Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs and later at The University of the South as the Vice Chancellor. Currently, Brigety is an Adjunct Senior Fellow for the African Peace and Security at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Other assignments include serving as the Representative of the United States of America to the African Union and Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN Economic Commission for Africa from 2013 to 2015. Before his appointment as Ambassador, Brigety was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs responsible for Southern African and Regional Security Affairs. He was also selected as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration responsible for U.S. refugee programs in Africa, overseeing diplomacy with international partners and the development of international migration policy.

Ambassador Brigety’s professional affiliations include memberships to the American Academy of Diplomacy, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Councilors of McLarty Associates, Board of Trustees of The Carter Center, and the Board of Directors of The Atlantic Council.

by Anthony E. Thomas