Childress, Mark B. (Mark Bradley), 1959-

Mark Bradley Childress (born 1959) is the former United States Ambassador to Tanzania and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning in the administration of President Obama.

Childress graduated from Yale University in 1981 and from University of North Carolina Law School in 1986. He took post-graduate courses in Agricultural Law and served as a teaching assistant at the University of Arkansas Law School in 1987-1988.

Thereafter, Childress served in a variety of policy, legal, and technical positions. From serving two terms in the White House, including as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Obama White House and Senior Counsel to President Clinton, to senior legal positions with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Justice, Ambassador Childress would gain a distinguished record of public service. In addition to his work in the Executive Branch, Ambassador Childress held multiple positions with the U.S. Congress, including for Senator Edward Kennedy on the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, where he focused on health care, and as Chief Counsel to Tom Daschle, the longterm Democratic Leader in the U.S. Senate.

Ambassador Childress also worked with Non Profit Organizations, such as the Environmental Working Group, an environmental research organization; and he conducted Rotary Foundation-funded agricultural research in several villages in Southeastern Nigeria. His private sector work, particularly as the Principal Legal Officer for the Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation, an Aboriginal Corporation in Australia, provided him the opportunity to support indigenous populations by representing their interests in commercial negotiations with Australian and multinational corporations seeking access to Aboriginal lands. He also worked as a partner in the Washington-based law firm Foley Hoag.

On July 8, 2013, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Childress to be United States Ambassador to Tanzania. On July 9, 2013, his nomination was sent to the Senate. He received a hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on September 24, 2013. He was reported out of committee on October 31, 2013 and again on January 15, 2014. He was confirmed to his ambassadorship by voice vote on April 7, 2014. He presented his credentials to President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete on May 22, 2014. On October 25, 2016, Childress would step down as the U.S. ambassador to Tanzania.