Ambassador (Ret) Linda Thomas-Greenfield served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Representative on the UN Security Council from 2021 to 2025. During her tenure, she was a member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet and National Security Council. Prior to this role, she led the State Department’s transition team for the incoming Biden Administration.

During her career as a diplomat, Thomas-Greenfield held a wide range of assignments. From 2013 to 2017, she served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, where she directed U.S. policy toward sub-Saharan Africa. She previously served as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources, overseeing the State Department’s global workforce. Her notable Foreign Service roles include U.S. Ambassador to Liberia (2008–2012), as well as assignments in Switzerland, Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Jamaica. Following her retirement from the Foreign Service in 2017, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield led the Africa Practice at Albright Stonebridge Group and was a Distinguished Resident Fellow in African Studies at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, where she also pursued doctoral studies. Her honors include a Presidential Rank Award, the Secretary of State’s
Distinguished Service Award, and numerous other accolades. She has received honorary doctorates from both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Liberia.