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American diplomat From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shirley Elizabeth Barnes (born 1938) is a former United States diplomat.[1] A career Foreign Service officer, she was appointed United States Ambassador to Madagascar from June 29, 1998, to July 28, 2001.[2][3]
Shirley Elizabeth Barnes | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Madagascar | |
In office June 29, 1998 – July 28, 2001 | |
President | Bill Clinton |
Preceded by | Vicki Huddleston |
Succeeded by | Wanda L. Nesbitt |
Personal details | |
Born | 1938 (age 85–86) |
Alma mater | Baruch College, Columbia University, National War College |
Barnes was born on April 5, 1938, in St. Augustine, Florida. When she was five years old, her family moved to Saratoga, New York.[4]
In 1956 she graduated from Baruch College[3] with a bachelor's degree in business. During her college years, she joined the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and became fluent in French.[4]
She later studied International Affairs at Boston University.[4] She received a master's degree in business administration from Columbia University in 1970.[4]
She was a part of the Senior Seminar Class of the National War College graduating in 1995.[3]
Before joining the Foreign Service, Barnes became vice president in several major advertising agencies and worked for the Ford Foundation from 1961- 1965 in the Republic of Congo, Kinshasa. After returning to the U.S. in 1965, she worked for the historic African-American Institute in New York City.[3]
In 1984, Barnes joined the U.S. Foreign Service and became a General Services Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Egypt.[5] She was promoted in 1986 to the Supervisor for the General Services Office at the Embassy in Senegal. From 1990 to 1992, Barnes worked as a Counselor for Administration in East Berlin, Germany.[4]
Barnes was the director of Western European affairs in the Bureau of European Affairs at the United States Department of State and served as a diplomat in West Berlin, Cairo, Sofia, and Dakar. She was also consul general in Strasbourg, France.[3]
In 1998, Barnes became the U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar and served until her retirement in 2001.[4]
In 2004 she founded the Barnes Findley Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting women and girls in the African Diaspora with an emphasis on anti-human trafficking and economic empowerment.[6]
Barnes received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2006 from Knox College.[6]
She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and the American Foreign Service Association. She is also an avid patron of African art[1] and speaks French.[3]
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