Robert Porter Jackson (born 1956 in Paris,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

) is a retired American

foreign service officer A Foreign Service officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. FSOs formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. They spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, cons ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

. He was a career member of the

Senior Foreign Service The Senior Foreign Service (SFS) comprises the top four ranks of the United States Foreign Service. These ranks were created by the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and Executive Order 12293 in order to provide the Foreign Service with senior grades ...

with the rank of

Minister-Counselor Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

Education

He received his B.A. from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

, his M.A. from

The George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a private federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress and is the first ...

Elliott School of International Affairs The Elliott School of International Affairs (known as the Elliott School or ESIA) is the professional school of international relations, foreign policy, and international development of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. It is ...

and his M.S. from

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 ...

Career

After earning his B.A., Jackson taught English and American Civilization at the University of Clermont II in Clermont-Ferrand, France. He worked briefly for the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Internal Revenue Service before becoming an English teacher at Institut Montana in Zugerberg, Switzerland. Jackson began his Foreign Service career in 1982, serving as a Consular and Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal, Canada. In 1985, he transferred to the U.S. Embassy in Bujumbura, Burundi, where he developed a lifelong passion for Africa. He was a career member of the

with the rank of

. From 2016 to 2018 he was United States Ambassador to Ghana. From 2013 to 2015 he was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. He was also the United States Ambassador to Cameroon, where he helped to double U.S. exports and promoted entrepreneurship and biodiversity. Prior to that he was Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., at the U.S. Embassies in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

and

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

. Mr. Jackson has also served as Director of the Office for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy; Coordinator of the Entry-Level Officer Training Program; and Country Officer for Botswana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. His other overseas postings include Côte d'Ivoire, Portugal and Zimbabwe.

Notes

External links

U.S. Embassy Yaoundé: Ambassador’s biography
, - Ambassadors of the United States to Cameroon Ambassadors of the United States to Ghana Bowdoin College alumni Elliott School of International Affairs alumni Living people National Defense University alumni People from Tennessee United States Foreign Service personnel 1956 births {{US-diplomat-stub