Denise Campbell Bauer (born January 30, 1964) is an American diplomat who served as the

United States ambassador to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations w ...

and

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

from 2022 to 2025. Bauer served as Ambassador of the United States to Belgium from 2013 to 2017. After being nominated by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, she was confirmed unanimously by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

on August 2, 2013; she was sworn in the following August 7. She left office on January 20, 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the executive director of Women for Biden.

Education

Bauer graduated from

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is ...

in 1986 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

, with an emphasis in foreign affairs and national security.

Career

She began her career in television news in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where she worked as a field producer and researcher for

KCBS-TV KCBS-TV (channel 2), branded CBS Los Angeles, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship station of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the n ...

News from 1985 to 1988, as a news producer for the North American bureau of

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

Australia from 1988 to 1990, and as a freelance film and video producer from 1990 to 1992. From 1993 until 1994 she worked as a public affairs officer for the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

Bay Area in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Bauer has been active in public service and community engagement for the past 25 years and, among other positions, served as president of the board of directors of the Belvedere Community Foundation, located in

Belvedere, California Belvedere is a residential incorporated city located on the San Francisco Bay in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States. Consisting of two islands and a lagoon, it is connected to the Tiburon Peninsula (California), ...

. A longtime Democrat, Bauer hosted multiple fundraisers and reportedly raised $4.3 million for President Obama’s two election campaigns, served on the Obama for America National Finance Committee from 2007 to 2008 and from 2011 to 2012, and was finance chair for Women for Obama from 2011 to 2012. She was also on the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

from 2008 to 2012, serving as chair and co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Forum and as co-chair of the National Issues Conference. She has also personally contributed nearly $20,000 to Democratic candidates and organizations.

Ambassador to Belgium

On June 21, 2013, Bauer was nominated to be the next US ambassador to Belgium by President

. Hearings on her nomination were held before the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for authorizing and overseeing foreign a ...

on July 25, 2013. The committee reported her favorably on July 30, 2013. On August 2, 2013, the Senate confirmed her by voice vote. Bauer served from 2013 to 2017.

Ambassador to France

In June 2021, it was reported that President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

would nominate Bauer to serve as the

and

. On July 9, 2021, President Biden nominated Bauer to serve as the United States Ambassador to France. On September 15, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the

. On October 19, 2021, her nomination was reported favorably out of committee. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed her on December 18, 2021, by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...

. She was sworn in on December 23, 2021. She presented her credentials to President Emmanuel Macron on February 5, 2022.

Ambassador to Monaco

Bauer presented her credentials to Prince Albert II on September 29, 2022.

Personal life

Bauer is married to attorney Steven M. Bauer, who is of counsel in the firm of

Latham & Watkins Latham & Watkins LLP is an American multinational law firm. Founded in 1934 in Los Angeles, California, Latham is the second-largest law firm in the world by revenue. As of 2022, Latham is also one of the most profitable law firms in the world ...

. They have two daughters, Katherine and Natalie. She speaks

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauer, Denise 1963 births Living people 21st-century American women Ambassadors of the United States to Belgium Ambassadors of the United States to France Ambassadors of the United States to Monaco American women ambassadors American women television producers Biden administration personnel California Democrats Diplomats from Los Angeles Occidental College alumni Television producers from California