Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley

Last updated

Gerard Winstanley
​
(m. 1982)​
Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley
Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley.jpg
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of the United States Department of State
In office
April 12, 2021 –June 30, 2023
Children2
Education George Washington University (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MA)

Gina Kay Abercrombie-Winstanley (born 1957) is an American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Malta from 2012 to 2016. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed on March 29, 2012. She was sworn in on April 18, 2012, and presented her credentials to George Abela, President of Malta, on May 2, 2012. [1] On April 12, 2021, she was sworn in to serve as chief diversity and inclusion officer for the United States Department of State. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Abercrombie-Winstanley was born Gina Kay Abercrombie in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where her mother was a secretary and her father an attorney. She graduated from Cleveland Heights High School and participated in an international exchange program in Israel. She then attended George Washington University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. [3] She also earned a Master of Arts degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University.

Career

Abercrombie-Winstanley speaks in 2021 Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley Delivers Remarks Upon Being Named Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (51111565357) (cropped).jpg
Abercrombie-Winstanley speaks in 2021

After completing her studies, Abercrombie-Winstanley joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Oman.

Abercrombie-Winstanley joined the United States Foreign Service in 1985 and was posted to Baghdad, Iraq. She then went on to serve at the U.S. embassies in Jakarta, Indonesia and Cairo, Egypt. She returned stateside to become a Special Assistant for Middle Eastern and African Affairs to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger (1991–1993). After a year of intensive Arabic language training in Tunisia, Abercrombie-Winstanley then became a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel (1994–97), focusing on Israel–Palestine relations. [3] from 1997 to 1998 she was assigned to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

From 1998 to 2000, she served in roles with the United States National Security Council, serving as director for the Arabian Peninsula with the Near East South Asia Center and later as director of legislative affairs.

Abercrombie-Winstanley served as consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia [4] from 2002 to 2005. She was the first female consul general in that location. [5] While there, she survived an al-Qaeda attack on the consulate on December 6, 2004, and was cited "for acts of courage" during the attack. [6] From 2005 to 2006, she served as director of Middle East Area studies in the Foreign Service Institute, and then spent two years as director for Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan at the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. From 2008 to 2012, she was deputy coordinator for counterterrorism.

In 2012, President Barack Obama nominated her to become U.S. ambassador to Malta. [6] She served in that role from May 2, 2012, to January 26, 2016.

Abercrombie-Winstanley was sworn in on April 12, 2021, to serve under Secretary Antony Blinken as chief diversity and inclusion officer for the United States Department of State [2]

Personal life

Abercrombie-Winstanley married Gerard A. Winstanley in 1982, and they have two adult children. [4] [7]

Honors and awards

Recipient of Senior Performance Pay, Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards, including "For acts of courage during an attack on the U.S. Consulate General, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on December 6, 2004, by al-Qa'ida terrorists." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adel al-Jubeir</span> Saudi diplomat and minister of state for foreign affairs (born 1962)

Adel Al-Jubeir is a Saudi diplomat who is the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He is the second person not belonging to the House of Saud to hold the office, after Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel. He previously served as the Saudi Ambassador to the United States from 2007 to 2015, and was also a foreign policy advisor to King Abdullah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michele J. Sison</span> American diplomat (born 1959)

Michele Jeanne Sison is an American diplomat and career member of the Senior Foreign Service serving as the assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs. She has previously served in various other diplomatic posts around the world on behalf of the United States, including ambassador to Haiti. Sison holds the personal rank of career ambassador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Heights High School</span> Public, coeducational high school in Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States

Cleveland Heights High School is the senior high school of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District, located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reema bint Bandar Al Saud</span> Saudi Ambassador to the United States

Reema bint Bandar Al Saud is a member of House of Saud and the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, a position she obtained similar to her father who was the Saudi Ambassador to the United States previously. Appointed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, she presented her credentials to Donald Trump on 8 July 2019 and took office as ambassador on 23 February 2019—becoming the first female to serve in the role of ambassador in the country's history. She also holds the rank of minister. She has advocated for female empowerment and has worked to expand opportunities for Saudi women within the Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth H. Merten</span> American diplomat (born 1961)

Kenneth H. Merten is an American diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Bulgaria since April 2023. Merten has served in various positions in the Department of State beginning in 1987, most notably as ambassador to Haiti from 2009 to 2012, ambassador to Croatia from 2012 to 2015, and special coordinator for Haiti from 2015 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Aujali</span> Libyan diplomat

Ali Suleiman Aujali is a Libyan diplomat who formerly served successively as Libya's ambassador to Malaysia, Argentina, Brazil and the United States. He served as ambassador under the Gaddafi government, Libya's National Transitional Council, and Libya's General National Congress. He declined the post of foreign minister under Prime minister Ali Zeidan in the government of the General National Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah K. Jones</span> American diplomat

Deborah Kay Jones is an American diplomat and the former United States Ambassador to Libya. Prior to her appointment in Libya, she was the United States Ambassador to Kuwait from 2008 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzan G. LeVine</span> American diplomat

Suzan Gail LeVine is an American businesswoman and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein from 2014 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard M. Mills Jr.</span> American diplomat (born 1959)

Richard Merrill Mills Jr. is an American diplomat who serves as the United States deputy ambassador to the United Nations. He served as the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations between January 20, 2021, and February 24, 2021, when Linda Thomas-Greenfield became ambassador. In July 2022, he was announced as the nominee to serve as the United States ambassador to Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaina B. Teplitz</span> American diplomat (born 1969)

Alaina B. Teplitz has served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Administration since 2021. She served as U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives from 2018 to 2021 and U.S. Ambassador to Nepal from 2015 to 2018. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister, she joined the State Department in 1991 and is the recipient of numerous Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. Kathleen Hill</span> American diplomat

Glenna Kathleen Hill is an American diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Malta. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on July 8, 2015, and confirmed by the Senate on December 9, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Z. Perez</span> American diplomat and government official

Carol Zelis Perez is a career Foreign Service Officer, who previously served as the Director General of the Foreign Service. Perez served as the U.S. Ambassador to Chile from October 2016 to January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynne M. Tracy</span> American diplomat

Lynne M. Tracy is an American diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Russia, serving since January 2023. She formerly served as the United States ambassador to Armenia from 2019 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Blome</span> American diplomat

Donald Armin Blome is an American diplomat serving as the United States Ambassador to Pakistan since 2022. He also served as the United States Ambassador to Tunisia from 2019 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imelda Panolong</span> Filipina career diplomat

Imelda Macapundag Panolong is a Filipina career diplomat who is the current Ambassador of the Philippines to Oman. She is the first Muslim woman in the Philippine diplomatic corps to be promoted to the rank of Career Minister and later, Chief of Mission, Class II and also the first female Muslim ambassador of the Philippines. Before becoming ambassador, she served as the consul general of the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and has completed tours of duty in Pakistan, Bahrain, Canada, Indonesia and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MaryKay Carlson</span> American diplomat

MaryKay Loss Carlson is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to the Philippines since 2022. She was previously the United States chargé d'affaires in Argentina from 2021 to 2022, after having served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the country from September 2019.

References

  1. ↑ "Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley". Embassy of the United States Malta. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "At the Announcement of Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer". U.S. Department of State. April 12, 2021.
  3. 1 2 McLellan, Carlton (January 30, 2015). "Gina Kay Abercrombie-Winstanley (1957- )". The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Guth, Douglas J. "Cleveland Hts. native takes road less traveled". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  5. ↑ "African American History Month 2015: Gina K. Abercrombie-Winstanley". U.S. Department of State. February 1, 2015. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Abercrombie-Winstanley, Gina". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Where there's equality, there's a better chance for economic progress". Crain's Cleveland Business. January 22, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley". state.gov. June 25, 2008.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Malta
2012–2016		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.