James, Makila Z., 1957-

Makila Z. James (born July 1957) is an American diplomat who has been a career Foreign Service Officer within the U.S. State Department. Beginning in 1988, she has had a series of postings and roles related to the Caribbean and Africa, leading to her being the Director of the Office of Caribbean Affairs from 2009 to 2012. She then served as the United States Ambassador to Swaziland from 2012 to 2016.

James was born in July 1957 in New York City. She attended Cornell University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree with a double major Africana Studies and American History in 1979. There she was one of a relatively few African-American members of the Quill and Dagger society. She has said that her dual study program and her involvement at the Cornell Africana Studies and Research Center had a strong impact on the direction her career took, that from the beginning of her time at Cornell she wanted to be "a woman in front of the train," and that she finds it encouraging that the Africana program was still going strong. She then attended Columbia University Law School, where she gained a J.D. in 1982.

Makila James became a career Foreign Service Officer within the State Department, starting in 1988. Her positions have generally been with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Bureau of African Affairs. Her first overseas assignments included being a consular officer in Jamaica, a political/economics officer in Nigeria, and a political officer in Zimbabwe. She served as the desk officer in the Office of West African Affairs, international relations officer in the Office of International Organization Affairs, and watch officer at the Operations Center.

During 2002–2003, James was a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy within the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. In 2010 she earned a master's degree in National Security from National Defense University. She was a member of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff from 2003 to 2006. From 2006 to 2007, James was the principal officer of the consulate general in Juba in South Sudan. From 2007 to 2009, she was the Deputy Director of the Office of Southern African Affairs. Following that, she was the Director of the Office of Caribbean Affairs until 2012.

James was nominated for the position of United States Ambassador to Swaziland on February 17, 2012, by President Barack Obama. She appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 22, 2012. She was confirmed by the full United States Senate on July 31, 2011, and sworn in as the United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Swaziland on August 27, 2012. Ambassador James presented her credentials at post on September 20, 2012.

One of James' major initiatives was furthering the protection of Swazi women and adolescent girls, especially in the context of the country's endemic HIV/AIDS problems. Many of these efforts were done in conjunction improving maternal health care and other services as part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Obama nominated a successor to James, Lisa J. Peterson, in September 2015. James' tenure as ambassador ended in early 2016.

In January 2016, James joined the faculty of the National War College as an assistant professor. She has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Africa and The Sudans since September 17, 2018.

James married Louis Wells and the couple have one child.