Garber, Judith Gail, 1961-

<p>Judith Gail "Judy" Garber (born 1961) is an American diplomat and the current Ambassador of the United States of America to Cyprus. She previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Latvia and as the acting Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment and Science at the Department of State.</p>

<p>Garber has been a career Foreign Service Officer since 1984. She was the Ambassador to Latvia from 2009 to 2012, and prior to that served in a variety of foreign and domestic posts, including Economic Counselor in Madrid and Director of North Central Europe in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. In August 2018, Garber was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next United States Ambassador to Cyprus. Prior to becoming Ambassador to Cyprus, she served as acting Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment and Science at the Department of State.</p>

<p>Garber obtained her bachelor's degree in International Economics from the Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. She is married with two children.</p>

<p>Prior to her appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, Judith Garber served as the Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. In that capacity she led U.S. diplomacy on oceans, climate, space, health, wildlife trafficking, and fisheries, among other issues. A career Foreign Service Officer with the rank of Career Minister, she joined the Foreign Service in 1984. Her previous diplomatic assignments have included Ambassador to Latvia from 2009-2012, Deputy Assistant Secretary for North and Central Europe, Director for Overseas Development Finance as well as postings in Spain, the Czech Republic, Israel and Mexico. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, the Ambassador worked at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury.</p>

<p>Married with two children, she has a degree from Georgetown University.</p>

<p>President Obama has chosen a career diplomat, Judith (Judy) G. Garber, to represent the U.S. as ambassador to Latvia, the first career diplomat to the small Baltic nation since Brian E. Carlson served in Riga from 2001 to 2004. Garber’s two immediate predecessors, Catherine Todd Bailey and Chuck Larson, Jr., were non-career appointees who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the 2004 presidential campaign of George W. Bush. Garber was sworn in on August 14, 2009.</p>

<p>Garber earned her bachelor’s degree at Georgetown University. Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1984, Garber worked at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the Department of the Treasury. A career foreign service officer, Garber’s previous overseas postings include Economic Counselor in Madrid, Spain; Deputy Economic Counselor in Tel Aviv, Israel; Economic Officer in Prague, Czech Republic; Economic Officer in Mexico City, Mexico; and Vice Consul in Seville, Spain. Garber’s Washington assignments have included Director for Overseas Development Finance in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, and director of North Central European Affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs from 2007 to 2009, overseeing bilateral relations with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Slovenia.</p>

<p>Garber is married with two children.</p>

<p>The State Department’s top diplomat for international scientific affairs—including global warming, which the Trump administration denies—is Judith Garber, who in April 2014 was promoted from principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), a job she had held since 2012.</p>

<p>The daughter of Evelyn Garber and Texaco accountant Seymour Garber, Judith (Judy) G. Garber was born circa 1961, and grew up in and around the New York City metropolitan area. She earned her B.S. in International Economics at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 1983. Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1984, Garber worked at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the Department of the Treasury.</p>

<p>Garber’s early State Department assignments included overseas postings as economic counselor in Madrid, Spain; deputy economic counselor in Tel Aviv, Israel; economic officer in Prague, Czech Republic; economic officer in Mexico City, Mexico; and vice consul in Seville, Spain. Garber’s Washington assignments have included director for overseas development finance in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, working with the multilateral development banks on Haiti reconstruction, tsunami relief, and Pakistan earthquake reconstruction.</p>

<p>Garber then moved laterally to the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, where she served as director of North Central European affairs, overseeing bilateral relations with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Slovenia.</p>

<p>Garber was promoted to deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs in October 2007, where she oversaw bilateral relations with Nordic, Baltic, and Central European countries.</p>

<p>Garber served as ambassador to Latvia from August 2009 to July 2012, the first career diplomat to the small Baltic nation since Brian E. Carlson served in Riga from 2001 to 2004. Garber’s two immediate predecessors, Catherine Todd Bailey and Chuck. Larson, Jr., were non-career appointees who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the 2004 presidential campaign of George W. Bush.</p>

<p>Garber’s husband, Paul Wisgerhof, also served in the Foreign Service and was deputy director of the Office of Foreign Policy Trade Controls. She has a stepson, Douglas, a son, Ryan, and a daughter, Elizabeth.</p>