James Knight (diplomat)

James A. Knight (born 1948) is the former United States Ambassador to Chad, having been confirmed on May 23, 2013.[1] He previously served as ambassador to Benin from 2009 to 2012. In addition to English he speaks French and Portuguese.[2]

James Knight
United States Ambassador to Chad
In office
September 6, 2013 – June 2016
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byMark Boulware
Succeeded byGeeta Pasi
United States Ambassador to Benin
In office
November 3, 2009 – April 28, 2012
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byGayleatha Brown
Succeeded byMichael A. Raynor
Personal details
Born1948 (age 72–73)
Spouse(s)Amelia Rector Bell
Alma materWichita State University
University of Chicago

Life

Knight is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.[2] He was formerly the State Department's Director of the Office of East African Affairs after serving as Team Leader of the Ninewa Provincial Reconstruction Team (see the Ninawa campaign), based in Mosul, Iraq. Before Iraq, he was Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) for the U.S. Mission to Angola as well as the DCM for Embassy Praia in Cape Verde.

Earlier experience includes assignments to the embassies in Ethiopia; Antananarivo, Madagascar; Banjul, the Gambia; and Lagos, Nigeria. Before the Foreign Service Knight worked as an economic development specialist for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Niger and as a software developer for the private sector.[3]

Knight holds a PhD from the University of Chicago, and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service as an infantry officer in the Vietnam War.[2] He is married to the former Amelia Rector Bell, a crisis management specialist at the Foreign Service Institute, and they have four children.[2]

References
  1. List of Ambassadorial Appointments
  2. Ambassador James Knight Archived 2009-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Biography from the U.S. Embassy at Cotonou, Benin. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  3. James Knight. Biography from the United States Department of State. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  •  This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Department of State document: "Biography:James Knight".
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Gayleatha Brown		 United States Ambassador to Benin
2009–2012		 Succeeded by
Michael A. Raynor
Preceded by
Mark Boulware		 United States Ambassador to Chad
2013–2016		 Succeeded by
Geeta Pasi
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