Abercrombie-Winstanley, Gina, 1957-

<p>Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, a 30-year diplomat, was the longest serving U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malta. Through a series of senior positions that included advising the Commander of U.S. cyber forces on our foreign policy priorities, expanding our counterterrorism partners and programs as Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, and Coordinating the largest evacuation of American citizens from a war zone since WWII, her professional life has played out almost daily in international media.</p>

<p>She began her formal work in teaching and leadership development as Chairwoman for Middle East Area Studies at the prestigious Foreign Service Institute where U.S. diplomats are trained. Earlier in her career, she served in Baghdad, Jakarta and Cairo before taking on the position of Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for the Middle East and Africa. Her Middle East assignments include election monitoring in the Gaza Strip and an extraordinary assignment where she actively supported gender equality in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the first woman to lead a diplomatic mission there. In addition to the State Department, she has held senior positions at the Defense Department and at the National Security Council of the White House. Prior to that, she was a fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the then Ranking Member, Senator Joseph Biden. Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley is the recipient of the Maltese Order of Merit, Department of State Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards, including "For acts of courage during an attack on the U.S. Consulate General, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on December 6, 2004 by al-Qa'ida terrorists."</p>

<p>Over the years, Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley has been a keynote speaker for a variety of organizations including IESAbroad, The Cleveland City Club, TrueBlue Inclusion; Harvard University, The University of Denver, The University of Malta and Johns Hopkins University Bologna Center. She is an in-demand panelist and moderator at some of the most respected international think tanks including The German Marshall Fund, CSIS, The World Affairs Council and The Council on Foreign Relations (Washington and New York) on issues ranging from U.S. Mid-East Policy, how diversity and inclusion improves U.S. foreign policy making, cyber security challenges and counterterrorism. She is a strong proponent of excellence through diversity across organizations and strives to break down barriers to the full participation of women and minorities.</p>

<p>Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley, a Cleveland native, has degrees from The George Washington University and The Johns Hopkins University and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She has been an active Board member on several organizations committed to excellence in educating and leadership development including the Forum for Education Abroad, SAIS Women Alumni Network, and the International Career Advancement Association. She sings with the Washington Performing Arts Society and is the co-author of two papers published in the New York Review of Science Fiction on "Diplomacy in Star Trek" and "The Representation of Disability in Star Trek."</p>

<p>Gina Kay Abercrombie-Winstanley (born 1957) is an American diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to Malta. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed on March 29, 2012. She was sworn in on April 18, 2012, and presented her credentials to George Abela, President of Malta, on May 2, 2012.</p>

<p>Abercrombie-Winstanley was born Gina Kay Abercrombie in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where her mother was a secretary and her father an attorney. She graduated from Cleveland Heights High School and participated in an international exchange program in Israel. She then attended George Washington University, where she earned a bachelor's degree. She also earned a master's degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University.</p>

<p>After completing her studies, Abercrombie-Winstanley joined the U.S. Peace Corps as a volunteer in Oman.</p>

<p>Abercrombie-Winstanley joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1985 and was posted to Baghdad, Iraq. She then went on to serve at the U.S. embassies in Jakarta, Indonesia and Cairo, Egypt. She returned stateside to become Special Assistant for Middle Eastern and African Affairs to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger (1991-1993). After a year of intensive Arabic language training in Tunisia, Abercrombie-Winstanley then became a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel (1994–97), focusing on Palestinian-Israeli relations from 1997 to 1998 she was assigned to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.</p>

<p>From 1998 to 2000, she served in roles with the U.S. National Security Council, serving as Director for the Arabian Peninsula with the Near East South Asia Center, and at The White House as Director for Legislative Affairs.</p>

<p>Abercrombie-Winstanley served as Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 2002 to 2005. She was the first female consul general in that location. While there, she survived an al-Qaeda attack on the consulate on December 6, 2004, and was cited "for acts of courage" during the attack. from 2005 to 2006 she served as Director of Middle East Area Studies in the Foreign Service Institute, and then spent two years as Director for Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan at the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau. From 2008 to 2012 she was Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism.</p>

<p>President Barack Obama then nominated her to become U.S. Ambassador to Malta. She served in that role from May 2, 2012 to January 13, 2016.</p>