Johnnie Carson (born April 7, 1943) is an American diplomat who has served as United States Ambassador to several African nations. In 2009 he was nominated to become U.S.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs The assistant secretary of state for African affairs is the head of the Bureau of African Affairs, within the United States Department of State, who guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and ...

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 ...

. He resigned in 2013 after four years in the role and following the resignation of Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

. He is currently a Senior Advisor at

Albright Stonebridge Group Albright Stonebridge Group, part of DGA Group, is a global business strategy firm based in Washington, D.C., United States. It was created in 2009 through the merger of international consulting firms The Albright Group, founded in 2001 by former ...

Background

Carson was born April 7, 1943, in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Ill. Carson is married, has three children, and resides in

Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and a principal city of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Rest ...

. He graduated from

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...

with a B.A. in History and Political Science in 1965 and later obtained a Master of Arts in International Relations from the

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

in 1975.Biography of NIC members
. National Intelligence Council, United States Directorate of National Intelligence. (2008). Retrieved March 21, 2009. ''Note:'' as this text was produced by a federal agency of the United States government, it is considered

Public Domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

. Portions may be used verbatim in this article. Before joining the Foreign Service, Carson was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania from 1965 to 1968.

Foreign service career

Carson joined the United States

National Intelligence Council The National Intelligence Council (NIC), established in 1979 and reporting to the Director of National Intelligence, bridges the United States Intelligence Community (IC) with policy makers in the United States. The NIC produces the "Global Trend ...

as National Intelligence Officer for Africa in September 2006 after a 37-year career in Foreign Service. Prior to this appointment, Carson served as the Senior Vice President of the

National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

in Washington D.C. (2003–2006). Carson's Foreign Service career includes ambassadorships to

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

(1999–2003),

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

(1995–1997), and

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

(1991–1994); and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the

Bureau of African Affairs The Bureau of African Affairs (AF) is part of the United States Department of State and is charged with advising the Secretary of State on matters of Sub-Saharan Africa. The bureau was established in 1958. It is headed by the Assistant Secretar ...

(1997–1999). Earlier in his career he had assignments in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

(1982–1986),

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

(1986–1990),

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

(1975–1978), and

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

(1969–1971). He has also served as desk officer in the Africa section at State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1971–1974); Staff Officer for the Secretary of State (1978–1979), and Staff Director for the Africa Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives (1979–1982). Carson is the recipient of several Superior Honor Awards from the Department of State and a Meritorious Service Award from Secretary of State

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Körbelová, later Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political science, political scientist who served as the 64th United States Secretary of State, United S ...

. The

Centers for Disease Control The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...

presented Ambassador Carson its highest award, "Champion of Prevention Award", for his leadership in directing the US Government's HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in Kenya. Upon his departure from the assistant secretaryship, Carson was given accolades from the ambassadors of the ECOWAS countries, who together praised him for extraordinary efforts to bind the United States together with their countries.

Assistant Secretary of State

In March 2009, Carson was nominated to become U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs by President

. In February 2013, Carson said of the Kenyan elections that the US wasn't officially backing any candidate, but "choices have consequences," reportedly contradicting President Obama's office after Obama said the decision was "up to the Kenyan people." In March 2013, it was reported that Carson would be stepping down from his post after serving for four years. In May 2013, Carson joined the

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American independent, nonprofit, national institute funded by the U.S. Congress and tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. See alsPDF on USIP website. It provides rese ...

as a senior adviser. Carson also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Democratic Institute. On January 15, 2015, he urged increased engagement with Nigeria for both the US and European partners, to assist in maintaining stability in the light of the upcoming

2015 Nigerian general election General elections were held in Nigeria on 28 and 29 March 2015, the fifth quadrennial election to be held since the end of military rule in 1999. Voters elected the President and members to the House of Representatives and the Senate. The in ...

, security problems in Northeastern Nigeria, and economic concerns regarding rising oil prices.Carson, Johnnie
"Nigeria: Top U.S. Figure Calls for International Action On Nigeria"
AllAfrica.com. Retrieved January 18, 2015

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Johnnie 1943 births Living people Alumni of SOAS University of London Ambassadors of the United States to Kenya Ambassadors of the United States to Uganda Ambassadors of the United States to Zimbabwe Assistant secretaries of state for African affairs African-American diplomats United States Foreign Service personnel 21st-century African-American people 20th-century American diplomats 21st-century American diplomats 20th-century African-American people