Reuben Brigety facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Reuben Brigety
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Official portrait, 2022
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| United States Ambassador to South Africa | |
| In office August 11, 2022 – January 3, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Lana Marks |
| Succeeded by | Dana M. Brown (Chargé d'affaires ad interim) |
| Vice-Chancellor and President of Sewanee: The University of the South | |
| In office June 17, 2020 – December 21, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | John McCardell Jr. |
| Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University | |
| In office October 1, 2015 – May 30, 2020 |
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| Succeeded by | Alyssa Ayres |
| United States Ambassador to the African Union | |
| In office October 7, 2013 – September 24, 2015 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Michael Battle |
| Succeeded by | Mary Beth Leonard |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs | |
| In office November 14, 2011 – September 3, 2013 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Secretary |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Reuben E. Brigety II
September 7, 1973 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse | Leelie Selassie |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BS) Cambridge University (MA, PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
Reuben E. Brigety II (born September 7, 1973) is an American diplomat and educator. He has held important roles in government and universities. He served as the United States ambassador to South Africa. Before that, he was the leader of Sewanee: The University of the South. He also worked as the dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Brigety has also been a U.S. ambassador to the African Union. He served as a deputy assistant secretary of state. He was also a representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
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Early Life and Education
Reuben Brigety grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. His father was a doctor and his mother was an educator. He was a top student at Sandalwood High School.
He attended the United States Naval Academy. This is a special college for training future naval officers. He was one of the main student leaders there in his final year. He earned a degree in political science.
After graduating, he worked at The Pentagon, which is the headquarters for the U.S. military. He then studied at the University of Cambridge in England. There, he earned a master's degree in international relations. He also served as a U.S. naval officer and trained to be a submarine officer. Later, he returned to Cambridge and earned a PhD in international relations.
Career Highlights
From 2003 to 2009, Brigety taught government and politics at two universities. He also worked as a researcher for Human Rights Watch. In this role, he studied human rights issues in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.
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He worked for the United States Agency for International Development from 2007 to 2008. This agency helps countries around the world. From 2008 to 2009, he led a program at the Center for American Progress. He also advised the U.S. military on development and security.
From 2009 to 2011, he was a deputy assistant secretary of state. He oversaw U.S. programs for refugees in Africa. He also helped manage international efforts to help people in need.
Brigety became a deputy assistant secretary of state for African Affairs in 2011. He focused on Southern African countries and regional security. From 2013 to 2015, he was the U.S. representative to the African Union. He also represented the U.S. at the UN Economic Commission for Africa.
In 2015, he was chosen to be the dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. He started this role in October 2015.
Brigety is a member of important international groups. These include the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Leading Sewanee University
In February 2020, Brigety was named the next vice-chancellor and president of Sewanee: The University of the South. He started this job in June 2020. The vice-chancellor is the main academic leader of the university.
As vice-chancellor, he introduced new ways to enforce university rules. He also set four main goals for the university. These goals included improving academics and making the campus more welcoming for everyone. He also wanted to focus on global citizenship and local economic growth.
Brigety was the first African American to lead Sewanee. He faced some challenges during his time there. He worked to address issues of equality and inclusion on campus.
United States Ambassador to South Africa
In December 2021, Brigety announced he would leave Sewanee. This was because he was being considered for the role of ambassador to South Africa. He was officially nominated for this position in February 2022.
The U.S. Senate approved his nomination in July 2022. He officially became the ambassador on August 11, 2022. He presented his credentials to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In May 2023, Brigety made a statement about South Africa and Russia. This caused some tension between the United States and South Africa. South Africa denied the claims and launched an investigation.
Personal Life
