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,

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in K ...

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

, and

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northea ...

, while resident in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest 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 Rewa Province, Central Di ...

, 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 liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's c ...

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

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 mill ...

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 served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

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 21st-century American diplomats