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MALONEY SET TO REPLACE PETERSON

By Bodwa Mbingo | 2020-05-23

Jeanne Marie Maloney is set to replace Lisa Peterson as the new Ambassador of the United States (US) of America in Eswatini after her nomination by President Donald Trump was this week sent to the US Senate for endorsement.

According to an official statement by the White House issued on May 19, 2020, Maloney of Virginia, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counsellor, is set to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Maloney currently serves as the Foreign Policy Advisor to United States Army Africa in Vicenza, Italy. Previously, she was the Director of the Office of Security Affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs.

She has also served in various leadership positions at the State Department over the course of her career, including as Career Development Officer in the Bureau of Human Resources, Director of the Office of Terrorist Screening and Interdiction in the Bureau of Counterterrorism, and Deputy Political-Military Counsellor at the United States Embassy Baghdad in Iraq.

Maloney was also the Director of the Office of Fraud Prevention Programs in the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

She earned a B.A from the College of William and Mary and an M.B.A from the University of Tulsa. She speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and basic Arabic.

Credentials

Peterson, on the other hand, arrived in the kingdom at a time when the country had lost its AGOA eligibility and was later reinstated. She presented her credentials to His Majesty the King in February 2015, where she expressed her pride at being chosen by then President Barrack Obama to serve in the kingdom and further pledged to work together to strengthen the dynamic relationship that already existed between the people and the governments of the two nations.

The United States, she said, was committed to strengthening its partnership with the African continent, and that its relationship with Eswatini was part of that commitment. At the time, she congratulated government on completing the third of five benchmarks for restoring AGOA eligibility – the implementation of the Code of Good Practice for police officers – and the significant progress that had been made on the remaining two, including a draft bill to amend the Public Order Act.

SEVEN NOMINATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS SENT TO SENATE:

n Louis W. Bremer, of Connecticut, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense, vice Owen West.

n Edward A. Burrier, of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation. (New Position)

n Michael W. Hail, of Kentucky, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation for a term expiring December 10, 2023. (Reappointment)

n Melanie Harris Higgins, of Georgia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Burundi.

n Jeanne Marie Maloney, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Eswatini.

n Jonathan Pratt, of California, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Djibouti.

n James Broward Story, of South Carolina, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

WITHDRAWAL SENT TO THE SENATE:

n Kenneth Charles Canterbury, Jr., of South Carolina, to be Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, vice Byron Todd Jones, resigned, which was sent to the Senate on February 12, 2020.

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