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.”

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