Nesbitt, Wanda Letitia, 1956-

Wanda Letitia Nesbitt (born December 7, 1956) is a United States diplomat. A career Foreign Service officer, she notably served as U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar (2002-2004), Côte d'Ivoire (2007-2010), and Namibia (2010-2013).

A native of Philadelphia, Nesbitt graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with bachelor of arts degrees in international relations and French before joining the Foreign Service in 1981. Overseas assignments included serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (1982-1983), Paris, France (1983-1985), Kigali, Rwanda (1997-1999), and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1999-2001). Nesbitt also served in other capacities in Washington, D.C. including Chief of the Europe and African Division of Citizens Emergency Center (1992-93) and the Bureau of Legislative Affairs (1994-96). At the United States Department of State, she was the Director of the Senior Level Assignments Division in the Bureau of Human Resources Career Development and Assignments Division (2005). She coordinated assignments and acted as the Executive Secretariat for the Chief of Mission Officer Selection committees. She was also a member of the Department of State’s Performance Review Board for Senior Executive Service members and Officer in Charge of Immigration and Refugee Issues (1995-1997). She earned a Masters Degree in national security strategies at the National Defense University. Before her graduation in 1997 she received an award from the College for her paper “Military Strategies in Ethnic Conflicts.”

From January 28, 2002 to June 23, 2004, Nesbitt served as U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar. As the U.S. envoy in Madagascar, she promoted policies for environmental protection, reducing poverty, and more effective governance. She signed an “Open Skies” Aviation Agreement between the United States and Madagascar in 2004 which also improve trade and investments, opened commercial airline routes, and provided boats for costal surveillance. From November 6, 2007 to August 10, 2010, Nesbitt served as U.S. Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire. In this role, she collaborated with Ivoirian leaders to improve child labor and orphan care policies and cocoa and coffee trade issues. She also wrote prerequisites for electoral reform.

From November 24, 2010 to November 15, 2013, Nesbitt served as Ambassador to Namibia. During her three years in Namibia, she coordinated President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In addition, she led a US delegation for World AIDS Day, oversaw an increase in local Peace Corps volunteers and expanded the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) which provided funding for a Community Skills Development Center, a Regional Study and Resource Center, a State Veterinary Office and the upgrading of three schools with computers, libraries and solar panels for electricity. From November 2013 to October 2017, she served as senior vice president of the National Defense University.

Nesbitt is married to James Stejskal, a decorated Special Forces veteran and military historian.