Deborah Elizabeth Vavasseur Barnes (born 6 October 1956), known since her marriage as Deborah Barnes-Jones, is a British diplomat and administrator.

Career

Barnes joined the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

in 1980. She was posted to the British Embassy in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

between 1983 and 1985, when she was promoted to First Secretary and was seconded to the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for supporting the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister and Cabinet ...

, remaining there until 1986. From 1988 to 1992 she was posted as First Secretary (Chancery) to the embassy in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, then returned to the Foreign Office in London for four years. She was Deputy Head of Mission in Uruguay from 1996 to 2001, when she was appointed as the British ambassador to the

Republic of Georgia A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a state in which political power rests with the public (people), typically through their representatives—in contrast to a monarchy. Although a ...

.'BARNES JONES, Deborah Elizabeth Vavasseur, born 6 Oct. 1956; née Barnes' in '' Who's Who 2012'' (London: A. & C. Black, 2012)''The Diplomatic Service List 2004'' (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2004), p. 155 In 2004 Barnes-Jones was appointed as the

Governor of Montserrat The governor of Montserrat is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of Montserrat. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The main role of the governor ...

and was sworn in at a special session of the island's

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

held in

Brades Brades (; also Brades Estate) is a town and the '' de facto'' capital of Montserrat since 1998 with an approximate population of 1,000. History The still ''de jure'' capital of Montserrat at Plymouth in the south of the island was abandoned i ...

on 10 May 2004, becoming the first female governor appointed by a reigning British monarch to a

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

. She remained in post until 6 July 2007.PEOPLE In Anguilla: Montserrat's Governor Says Exciting Times Ahead
''The Anguillian News'', 17 February 2006. In 1986, she married Fredrick Richard Jones, an American diplomat, and they have twin daughters (Jennifer and Hilary), born in 1991.

References

1956 births Living people Governors of Montserrat British women ambassadors Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Georgia (country) {{UK-diplomat-stub