From handbag designer to long-time ambassador and university vice-chancellor, how did she get there? Reuben Brigety, the new US ambassador to South Africa, has been nominated by US President Joe Biden.
But who is he and what does he have to offer? He has a long list of accomplishments on his resume.
Reuben Brigety, who is he?
Reuben Brigety has a lengthy and illustrious diplomatic career. He served as the US ambassador to the African Union earlier.
He is also the Vice Chancellor of the University of the South at the moment.
His connections to African politics don’t stop just there.
Brigety served as the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs from 2011 to 2013.
That’s not all.
The White House says he has a whole host of other jobs he is currently doing too.
“Reuben 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 Counselors 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.”
US Government statetment confirming Brigety’s nomination.
Well travelled, well educated, no handbags
Brigety holds a Masters In Philosophy in International Affairs. He also obtained a Ph.D in International Affairs from the iconic Cambridge University in the UK.
Once confirmed by the US Senate, Brigety will replace Lana Marks.
Marks had no diplomatic experience before being handpicked for the job by former President Donald Trump. Marks was originally born in East London in the Eastern Cape.
She moved to the US in the 1970s and found success with high-end fashion handbags.
She met Trump in Florida after emigrating. She served just 14 months as SA’s ambassador before calling it quits after Trump was voted out.
Want to get a better sense of what the incoming Brigety stands for? Take a listen to one of his addresses to the Oxford Union, on the African Union.