Aurelia E. Brazeal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aurelia E. Brazeal
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| United States Ambassador to Ethiopia | |
| In office November 20, 2002 – September 2, 2005 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Tibor P. Nagy |
| Succeeded by | Donald Yamamoto |
| United States Ambassador to Kenya | |
| In office August 9, 1993 – September 11, 1996 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Smith Hempstone, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Prudence Bushnell |
| United States Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia | |
| In office August 6, 1990 – July 6, 1993 |
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| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | March Fong Eu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 24, 1943 Chicago |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Spelman College Columbia University Harvard University |
Aurelia Erskine Brazeal, born in 1943, is a retired American diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. She served as the United States Ambassador to three different countries: Micronesia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. This means she was the top U.S. representative in those places.
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Early Life and Education
Aurelia Brazeal was born on November 24, 1943, in Chicago. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Her father, Brailsford Reese Brazeal, was a teacher and an economist. A building at Morehouse College is named after him.
Aurelia went to Northfield School for Girls for high school. This school is now called Northfield Mount Hermon School.
College and Beyond
She earned her first college degree in political science from Spelman College in 1965. Political science is the study of how governments work.
In 1967, she earned a master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University. This degree helps people understand relationships between different countries. Later, she continued her studies at Harvard University.
A Career in Diplomacy
Aurelia Brazeal joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1968. The Foreign Service is a group of people who work for the U.S. government in other countries. Their job is to help build good relationships between the U.S. and other nations.
Her first job was in the Department of State. She worked on ways to help countries in South America and Southeast Asia develop their economies and democracies.
First International Assignments
From 1969 to 1971, she worked as a Consular and Economic Officer in Argentina. A consular officer helps U.S. citizens who are traveling or living abroad.
After Argentina, she worked in different offices at the State Department in Washington, D.C..
Later, she had more international assignments. From 1974 to 1981, she worked at U.S. Embassies in Uruguay, Paraguay, and Japan. An embassy is the official office of a country's ambassador in a foreign land.
Returning to Washington
In 1982, Aurelia Brazeal returned to Washington, D.C. She worked in various State Department offices. From 1984 to 1986, she was a deputy director for Economics.
She then spent two years at the Foreign Service Institute. This is where U.S. diplomats get special training. After her training, she returned to Japan, working at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo from 1987 to 1990.
Becoming an Ambassador
On June 6, 1990, President George H. W. Bush chose Aurelia Brazeal to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia.
Before her, the U.S. had a representative in Micronesia. But in 1989, the U.S. office there became an Embassy. The position of representative was upgraded to Ambassador. So, when the Senate approved her, Aurelia Brazeal became the first U.S. Ambassador to Micronesia. She was also the first African American woman in the Foreign Service to reach such a high rank.
Ambassador to Kenya
Because of her success, President Bill Clinton nominated her for another ambassador role. She became the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, serving from 1993 to 1996.
Her job in Kenya was to improve relations between the two countries. There had been some disagreements with the previous ambassador. She worked to encourage economic and political changes in Kenya.
During her time, there were still some challenges. The Kenyan government threatened to remove journalists from the country. Ambassador Brazeal herself was even briefly held by authorities.
Leadership Roles and Ethiopia
After Kenya, Brazeal became the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific. She held this job from 1996 to 1998. In this role, she shared her knowledge of the region with the U.S. Congress.
In 1998, she became the Dean of Senior Seminar and the first Dean of the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute. She held these important teaching and leadership roles until 2002.
On June 14, 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush chose her for her third ambassador position. She became the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia. This made her the first African American woman to be named a U.S. Ambassador by three different presidents. She served in Ethiopia until 2005.
Retirement and Continued Service
From 2005 to 2008, Aurelia Brazeal held the title of Career Minister in the Senior Foreign Service. This is a very high rank for diplomats. During this time, she also taught as a Distinguished Visiting Ambassador at Howard University.
Aurelia Brazeal retired in 2008. She had served the U.S. Foreign Service for 41 years.
After retiring, Ambassador Brazeal continued to be involved in public service. She served as the President of the Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA). She is also a member of several important groups, including the Council on Foreign Relations. These groups work to understand and improve international relations.
