Williams, Bisa, 1954-

Bisa Williams (born 1954) is an American diplomat. She notably served as U.S. Ambassador to Niger (2010-2013).

Born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Williams received as Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College, where she graduated in 1976 cum laude with honors distinctions in Black Literature of the Americas. She later received a Master of Arts degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College, and a second MA from the University of California, Los Angeles in comparative literature.

Bisa Williams is a career foreign service officer, having joined the Foreign Service in 1984. Early overseas postings include Port Louis, Mauritius; Paris, France and Panama City, Panama. Her first overseas assignment was in Port Louis, Mauritius, a mission that also covers Seychelles and Comoros, where she served as Deputy Chief of Mission under Ambassador John Price.

Prior to being assigned to Niamey, Bisa Williams, then U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, participated in a September 2009 six-day trip to Cuba in an attempt to improve bilateral relations. During the trip she met with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Dagoberto Rodríguez Barrera, worked on restoring direct mail service between the two countries, and toured parts of western Cuba hit by Hurricane Ike. She also invited dissidents to a reception at the United States Interests Section in Havana.

Williams' nomination to be United States Ambassador to Niger was sent to the United States Senate on November 30, 2009, and she assumed the post in Niamey eleven months later, on October 29, 2010. She left her post on September 13, 2013. Thereafter, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 2013 until 2015, when she retired from the Foreign Service. After retiring, she co-founded and served as Managing Director of Williams Strategy Advisors, LLC and led The Carter Center’s effort as Independent Observer of implementation of the Peace Agreement in Mali.

Williams has received five Superior Honor and four Meritorious Honor Awards. She is proficient in the French, Portuguese, and Spanish languages.