Kennedy, Laura Elizabeth, 1951-

<p>After graduating from Vassar College (B.A.) and American University (M.A.), Laura E. Kennedy joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1975. Her domestic assignments include the Offices of People’s Republic of China Affairs, Soviet Affairs, Jordan/Syria/Lebanon/Palestinian Affairs (Deputy Director), and Central Eurasian Affairs (Director). She also spent a sabbatical year at Stanford University and graduated from the Senior Seminar of the Department of State. Abroad, she was detailed to an official US-USSR exchange exhibit in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. She served at U.S. Embassies in Moscow (twice) Ankara, Yerevan (Chargé d’Affaires), and Ashgabat and at U.S. Missions to international organizations in Vienna (Deputy Permanent Representative) and Geneva. She was appointed by President George W. Bush as Ambassador to Turkmenistan (2001-2003).</p>

<p>Upon her return to the U.S., she served as the Dean of the last class of the Senior Seminar. She subsequently served under Secretary of State Colin Powell as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs with responsibility for southern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. She taught at the National War College 2007-9 and also served as Deputy Commandant. President Obama appointed her U.S. Permanent Representative (2010-2013) to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. She also served concurrently in Geneva as the U.S. Special Representative for Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) Issues.</p>

<p>Ambassador Kennedy was given the Secretary’s Career Achievement Award upon her retirement in 2013. She has been retained as a consultant on international security affairs, lectured, and helped write new guidelines on Chiefs of Mission for the American Foreign Service Association. She serves on the board of the Senior Seminar Alumni Association, Foreign Policy for America, the World Affairs Council-DC and the Arms Control Association.</p>

<p>Kennedy was recalled to active service in May 2014 by the Director General to serve as Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan until September 2014. She was then asked to take a similar position at the U. S. Mission to the United Nations in Vienna with concurrent service as the Acting Governor to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency which she began on September 15, 2014.</p>

<p>Ambassador Kennedy is married to retired U.S. diplomat, John Feeney, and has two sons, Martin and Patrick Feeney.</p>

<p>Laura E. Kennedy is a retired United States career diplomat, who has served as U. S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.</p>

<p>After retirement in 2013, she was recalled to service in 2014 to serve as Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan and then the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna (UNVIE), leaving government again in 2015. She is active lecturing and commenting on foreign affairs, arms control and U.S.politics. She serves on the boards of Foreign Policy 4 America and the Arms Control Association. She is a member of the Szilard Advisory Board of the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, the Deep Cuts Commission, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Leadership Council for Women in National Security.</p>

<p>Kennedy was born in Coronado, California to a Navy family. She graduated from Falls Church High School and Vassar College where she was a member of the last all-female entering class of the American women’s college. She studied Indonesian language at Cornell and the University of Wisconsin before earning an M.A. from American University in Washington D.C. She spent a sabbatical year at Stanford University 1982-3.</p>

<p>Kennedy joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1975. She served on the People’s Republic of China and Mongolian Affairs Office until her assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow 1977–79. During that time, she worked as a guide with an official U.S. exhibit touring the Soviet republics of Ukraine, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.</p>

<p>After serving on the Soviet Desk, she returned to Moscow in 1983-5 as the Embassy “Kremlinologist”. She was a member of the U.S. Delegation in Vienna 1985-9 to the conventional forces negotiations (M.B.F.R. and C.F.E.).</p>

<p>During Kennedy’s time at the U.S.Embassy in Ankara 1990-3, she was detailed to Operation Provide Comfort in the wake of the Kurdish refugee crisis after the Gulf War. She was briefly detailed to the new U.S. Embassy in Armenia as Charge d’Affaires after the breakup of the Soviet Union.</p>

<p>During her tenure as Deputy Director on the Office of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestinian Affairs 1995-97, she worked on new U.S. relations with the Palestinians and new regional cooperation with Israel. As Director for Central Asia 1995-7, Kennedy developed U.S.relations with the new independent states of the former Soviet Union and helped integrate them in regional and international institutions.</p>

<p>Kennedy served as Deputy Chief of Mission at UNVIE 1998-2001 until her appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan where she focused on supporting civil society and encouraging Turkmen support for operations in Afghanistan.</p>

<p>Kennedy returned to Washington in 2003 as Dean of the Senior Seminar, the State Department's inter-agency leadership program. 2004-5, she was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus. She taught at the National War College 2007-9 where she also served as Deputy Commandant. She was Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva 2010-13 and concurrently Special Representative for Biological Weapons Convention Issues.</p>

<p>She was awarded the Secretary’s Career Achievement award upon her retirement in 2013. She was previously awarded the Distinguished Honor Award and numerous Merit and Superior Honor Awards by the State Department. She was recalled to service in 2014 to run the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan and then the U.S.Mission to International Organizations in Vienna (UNVIE) until 2015.</p>

<p>Kennedy was a member of the National Finance Committee for the 2016 Clinton Campaign. She is a founding Board member of Foreign Policy 4 America and also serves on the Board of the Arms Control Association. She served on the Board for the World Affairs Council-DC 2017-19. She currently serves on the Szilard Advisory Board of the Center for Arms Control and Non Proliferation. She is a member of the U.S.-Russia-German Deep Cuts Commission and was elected to the American Academy of Diplomacy. She serves on the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LC-WINS).</p>

<p>Kennedy has lectured at universities and institutions including as the visiting DACOR Diplomat at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College 2016-17. She is a commentator on foreign affairs and arms control. She has served as expert on “Silk Road” journeys for the New York Times and the Smithsonian Institute.</p>

<p>Kennedy is married to former U.S. diplomat John J. Feeney and is the mother of two children.</p>

<p>Laura Elizabeth Kennedy (1951–)<br>
Career Foreign Service Officer<br>
State of Residence: New York</p>

<p>Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Turkmenistan)<br>
Appointed: September 21, 2001<br>
Presentation of Credentials: October 5, 2001<br>
Termination of Mission: Left post on July 7, 2003</p>

<p>Ambassador Laura E. Kennedy, a Minister-Counselor in the Foreign Service, assumed her duties as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in June 2004.</p>

<p>Ambassador Kennedy graduated from Vassar College, received an M.A. from American University and also studied at Cornell and Stanford Universities. Her first assignment with the State Department was in the Office of People's Republic of China Affairs. She then served at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and was detailed to a U.S. official exchange exhibit that traveled to Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Tajikistan. After serving as staff assistant to the Assistant Secretary for European Affairs, she returned to Moscow in 1983. Ambassador Kennedy was assigned in 1985 to the U.S. Delegation to the negotiations on conventional armed forces in Vienna, serving with the MBFR (Mutual Balanced Force Reduction) delegation and then helping to negotiate the mandate for the new CFE (Conventional Forces in Europe) talks which were launched in 1989. Ambassador Kennedy began her assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Turkey at the outbreak of the Gulf War. During the subsequent Kurdish refugee crisis, she was detailed to Operation Provide Comfort. She served as Chargé d'Affaires at the newly established U.S. Embassy in Armenia in 1992. She returned to Washington in 1993 as the Deputy Director for Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestinian Affairs. Ambassador Kennedy was Director for Central Eurasia and Caspian energy issues from 1995-1997. She was next assigned as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna. She was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan in 2001 where she focused on promoting civil society and enlisting the government in the war against terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan. From 2003-2004, she directed the 46th Class of the Senior Seminar.</p>

<p>Ambassador Kennedy's languages are Russian and Turkish. She is a graduate of the Senior Seminar and a member of the American Foreign Service Association. She has received the Distinguished Honor Award, as well as a number of Superior and Meritorious Honor awards from the Department of State. Ambassador Kennedy and her husband have two sons.</p>