Elder, Christine Ann

<p>U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Christine Elder departed Liberia on Saturday, March 21, after nearly four years at the helm of the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia. Ambassador Elder worked closely with both Presidents Sirleaf and Weah and their respective administrations, overseeing U.S. diplomatic engagement with Liberia and U.S. foreign assistance here. Ambassador Elder is one of the longest-serving U.S. Ambassadors in Liberia’s history.</p>

<p>Deputy Chief of Mission Alyson Grunder will serve as Chargé d’affaires until a new U.S. Ambassador is confirmed.</p>

<p>Christine Elder, a career member of the Foreign Service, was sworn in as Ambassador to Liberia on June 20, 2016. It’s her first ambassadorial posting.</p>

<p>Elder was born in Chicago, daughter of Allen and Diane Elder, but later lived in Kentucky. She graduated with a B.A. from the University of Kentucky in 1989 and subsequently earned an M.A. at George Washington University.</p>

<p>She joined the State Department in 1992 after serving as a trade policy assistant in the International Trade Administration in the Department of Commerce. Early assignments included postings in Bonn and Berlin, Germany. From 2002 to 2004, Elder was cultural affairs officer in the embassy in Budapest, Hungary. She began a stint in Washington in 2005 as senior watch officer in the State Department operations center and the following year was made Deputy Director for Regional Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Elder was made strategic planning officer in the Bureau of International Programs in 2007. She served there until 2010, along with being acting deputy coordinator for international information programs beginning in 2009.</p>

<p>In 2010, Elder went to Maputo, Mozambique as Deputy Chief of Mission in the embassy there. She returned to Washington in 2013 to serve as Director for Southern Africa Affairs, a post she held until going to Liberia.</p>

<p>Elder is married to Paul Hughes, a former Foreign Service officer, and has two stepchildren, Ellie and Christopher. Elder speaks German and Portuguese.</p>

<p>Christine A. Elder is an American diplomat who has served as the United States Ambassador to Liberia since June 2016.</p>

<p>Elder is a native of Glasgow, Kentucky, the daughter of Allen and Diane Elder. She is a graduate of Glasgow High School and received a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and an M.A. from The George Washington University.</p>

<p>Elder's career has spanned both civil and foreign service. She served as a Trade Policy Assistant with the International Trade Administration at the United States Department of Commerce before joining the United States Department of State. Her early assignments included ones in Germany and Hungary. She served as Senior Watch Officer in the State Department's Operations Center from 2005 to 2006 and as Deputy Director for Regional Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs from 2006 to 2007. Between 2007 and 2010 she held roles as Strategic Planning Officer in the Bureau of International Programs and Acting Deputy Coordinator for International Information Programs.</p>

<p>Elder served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique from 2010 to 2013.</p>

<p>When Elder was tapped by President Obama to become ambassador she was the Director of the Office of Southern African Affairs at the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, a position she had held since 2013.</p>

<p>Elder was nominated by President Barack Obama on February 12, 2016 and was confirmed by the Senate May 17, 2016. She was sworn in on June 20, 2016 and she presented her credentials to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on June 23, 2016.</p>

<p>Elder is married to Paul Hughes, a former Foreign Service Officer, and has two step-children.</p>