Cindy Courville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cindy L. Courville
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| 1st United States Ambassador to the African Union | |
| In office December 22, 2006 – June 1, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | John A. Simon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1954 (age 70–71) |
| Alma mater | University of Louisiana at Lafayette (B.A.), (M.A.) University of Denver (Josef Korbel School) (M.A.), (Ph.D.) |
Dr. Cindy Lou Courville, born in 1954, is an important American diplomat. She was the U.S. Ambassador to the African Union from 2006 to 2008. Before that, she worked at the National Security Council. There, she helped the President make important decisions about U.S. policy for African countries.
Cindy Courville's Early Life and Education
Cindy Courville grew up in Opelousas, Louisiana. When she was just 15, she was the secretary for her town's NAACP chapter. The NAACP is a group that works for equal rights for all people. Her father worked for a company called International Harvester. Her mother was a seamstress and a cook at Cindy's school.
Ambassador Courville studied at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in political science. She also earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) and a Ph.D. from the University of Denver's Graduate School of International Studies. Her studies focused on how different countries' governments work and how nations interact.
Cindy Courville's Professional Career
Ambassador Courville has a lot of experience in different fields. She spent ten years teaching political science at universities. She taught at Hanover College in Indiana and Occidental College in Los Angeles.
She was also a special researcher at the University of Zimbabwe. She received fellowships from Shell Oil and the Ford Foundation. These fellowships helped her continue her research and studies.
In 2008, her first university, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, gave her an honorary doctorate. This is a special degree given to people who have achieved great things.
Cindy Courville's Government Work
Before becoming an ambassador, Cindy Courville worked for the U.S. government in several important roles. She worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). There, she was a Senior Intelligence Officer. This means she helped gather and understand important information for national security.
At the DIA, she also worked as a link between different government offices. She connected with the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Africa, the National Security Council, and the Department of State.
Ambassador Courville was also the Director for East African Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In this role, she helped coordinate U.S. military and security plans for East Africa and the Horn of Africa. She also served as Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council from June 2001 to August 2003.
