Virginia Palmer
United States Ambassador to Ghana
Assumed office
May 10, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byStephanie S. Sullivan
Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources
Acting
In office
January 20, 2021 – September 7, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byFrancis R. Fannon
Succeeded byHarry R. Kamian
United States Ambassador to Malawi
In office
February 27, 2015 – June 7, 2019
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded byJeanine Jackson
Succeeded byRobert K. Scott
Personal details
Born1963 (age 60–61)
SpouseIsmail Asmal
Children2
EducationGeorgetown University (BS)
University of Virginia (MA)

Virginia Evelyn Palmer[1] (born 1963) is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Ghana since 2022. Palmer is the former United States ambassador to Malawi. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate, beginning the assignment in January 2015.

Early life and education

Palmer is the daughter of Becky and Richard Palmer, who was a professor of drama at Washington University in St. Louis. She grew up in University City, Missouri, and graduated from University City High School. She attended Georgetown University and earned a Bachelor of Science in foreign service in 1983. She then earned a Master of Arts at the University of Virginia in 1986.[2]

Career

In 1986, following completion of her graduate studies, Palmer joined the United States Foreign Service. Her early assignments included serving as consular officer at the U.S. Consulate in Calgary, Canada, and as economic officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China. International assignments also include ones in Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Kenya and Vietnam.[1] She was director of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs's Office of Economic Policy from 2004 to 2005. From 2005 to 2008 she served in the Department of State as the deputy coordinator for counterterrorism.

Ambassador to Malawi

When she was nominated by President Barack Obama to be U.S. ambassador to Malawi, she was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Pretoria, a position she had held since 2011.[3] In that role, Palmer welcomed Obama as he visited three nations in Africa, when she explained to local media, "This visit highlights the potential of Africa and our President to interact and highlight the role of the 600 American companies that are already operating in South Africa and are creating jobs in South Africa."[4]

Delays in the Senate kept her nomination, as well as those of many other ambassador nominees, from being approved. The American Foreign Service Association expressed concern that delays in Senate proceedings were putting the U.S. at risk because of the absence of ambassadors in countries engaged in "the war on Ebola", the killer virus which dominated the 2014 United States–Africa Leaders Summit.[5]

After assuming her role as Malawi ambassador, Palmer became vocal in defense of civil rights for gay couples in the country.

Palmer was succeeded by Robert Scott on August 7, 2019.[6] From November 4, 2019, she served as principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources. Palmer was appointed as the acting assistant secretary of state for energy resources on January 20, 2021, by President Joe Biden.[7]

United States Ambassador to Ghana

On July 2, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Palmer to be the next United States Ambassador to Ghana.[8] On July 13, her nomination was sent to the Senate.[9] On September 29, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.[10] On October 19, 2021, her nomination was reported favorably out of committee.[11] On December 18, 2021, her nomination was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote.[12] She presented her credentials to foreign minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey on May 10, 2022.[13]

Personal life

In addition to English, Palmer speaks Chinese and French. Palmer is married to Ismail Asmal, who is also a Foreign Service officer. They have two daughters.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 Palmer, Virginia E. - Republic of Malawi - August 2014 U.S. Department of State, August 2014
  2. ↑ U.S. Ambassador to Malawi: Who Is Virginia Palmer? AllGov, October 18, 2014
  3. ↑ Virginia E. Palmer U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malawi U.S. Embassy at Malawi, accessed May 7, 2016
  4. ↑ Obama visit to strengthen ties: Palmer South African BC, June 25, 2013
  5. ↑ On eve of Obama summit, 20% of U.S. Embassies in Africa lack ambassador the Washington Examiner, August 1, 2014
  6. ↑ "US Ambassador presents credentials to Mutharika". Malawian Watchdog. August 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Virginia E. Palmer". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  8. ↑ "President Biden Announces Seven Key Nominations" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. July 2, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ↑ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. July 13, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  10. ↑ "PN780 - Nomination of Virginia E. Palmer for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". Congress.gov. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  11. ↑ "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.
  12. ↑ "PN780 - Nomination of Virginia E. Palmer for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. March 2, 2022.
  13. ↑ Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey [@AyorkorBotchwey] (May 10, 2022). "The Ambassador - Designate of the United States of America to Ghana, H.E Ms. Virginia E. Palmer, presented her open letters to my office today" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "U.S. Ambassador to Malawi: Who Is Virginia Palmer?". AllGov.com. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
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