Sullivan, Stephanie Sanders, 1958-

Stephanie S. Sullivan, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Ghana on November 30, 2018. She formerly served as Ambassador to the Republic of Congo (2013-2017).

Most recently, she was the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, after having been Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central African Affairs and Security Affairs since January 2017.

Ambassador Sullivan was Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources from 2011-2013. She was previously Managing Director of the Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation. She served multiple tours in the Executive Secretariat Operations Center, the State Department’s 24/7 briefing and crisis management center, as Director (2008-2010); Deputy Director (2003-2005); Senior Watch Officer (2002-2003); and Watch Officer (1988-89); and in the White House Situation Room (1989-90).

Ms. Sullivan served as the Political Chief in Accra, Ghana (1997-2001) and as a management, consular, and political officer in Douala and Yaoundé, Cameroon (1986-1988). Other Washington assignments include desk officer for Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in the Bureau of African Affairs (1991-93) as well as post management and human resources positions supporting colleagues in Africa, Europe, and the Western Hemisphere.

Ms. Sullivan was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Democratic Republic of Congo (1980-1983) and later worked as Chief of Operations for the Africa Region at Peace Corps (1994-96).

Ambassador Sullivan graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics and from the National War College with a Master of Science in National Security Strategy. She speaks French, Lingala, and some Spanish.