Judith Beth Cefkin (born in 1953) is an American diplomat and former ambassador to five nations in Oceania. She served concurrently as the ambassador to

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

Kiribati Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, and more than half live on Tarawa. The st ...

Nauru Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, with its nearest neighbour being Banaba (part of ...

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

, and

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

, while in residence in

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...

, Fiji.

Early life and education

Cefkin was born in New York to Rose (née) Mackanick and John Leo Cefkin. She grew up in Ft. Collins, Colorado, where her father was a professor of political science at Colorado State University. Cefkin attended

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

, where she earned a B.A. in government in 1975. She then studied at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

and Political Science, earning a master's degree in International Relations in 1977.

Career

After completing graduate studies, Cefkin became a television news producer. She worked as a legislative intern in Washington, D.C. and also worked in the Office of Technology Assessment for Congress. In 1983 Cefkin embarked on a career in the Foreign Service. Her assignments have included ones in Thailand, France, Mexico and The Philippines. She served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. She was 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 ...

as ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu on July 9, 2014. Her nomination was confirmed by the Senate on November 19, 2014. She presented her credentials in the five nations between February and August 2015, and served until February 25, 2018.

Personal life

Cefkin is married to Paul Boyd, a foreign service officer who has also served as a police officer and member of the U.S. Special Forces. In addition to English she speaks French, Thai, Bosnian and Spanish.OUTGOING U.S. AMBASSADOR CONGRATULATES HER SUCCESSOR JUDITH CEFKIN
The Jet Newspaper, November 20, 2014

References

External links

U.S. Embassy - Fiji

U.S. Embassy Mission Leaders - Fiji

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cefkin, Judith Beth 1953 births Living people Alumni of the London School of Economics Ambassadors of the United States to Fiji Ambassadors of the United States to Kiribati Ambassadors of the United States to Nauru Ambassadors of the United States to Tuvalu Ambassadors of the United States to Tonga American women ambassadors Obama administration personnel Smith College alumni United States Foreign Service personnel 21st-century American women civil servants 21st-century American diplomats