Pamela E. Bridgewater

Pamela E. Bridgewater (born April 14, 1947) is a United States career diplomat, most recently posted as the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, between 7 June 2005 and July 2008.cite web|url=http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.asp?id=4716|title=U.S. Ambassador Pamela E. Bridgewater to Address December Graduates at the University of Cincinnati|date=8 November 2006|publisher=University of Cincinnati |accessdate=2008-07-30] [cite web|url=http://gbcghana.com/news/21120detail.html|title=Asantehene commends Pamela Bridgewater|date=2 July 2008|publisher=GBC NEWS|accessdate=2008-07-30]

Biography

Bridgewater was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the daughter of a bank teller and a jazz trumpeter,cite web|url=http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/blackhistory.apx.-content-articles-RTD-special-0510.html|title=PROFILE: Pamela Bridgewater|last=Williams|first=Michael Paul|date=November 11, 2007|publisher=Richmond Times-Dispatch|accessdate=2008-07-30] and attended Walker-Grant High School. [cite web|url=http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/082007/08292007/308543|title=The go-to American in Ghana |last=Delano |first=Frank |date=August 29, 2007|publisher=The Free Lance-Star |accessdate=2008-07-30] She has two degrees in Political Science, graduating with a BA from Virginia State University in 1968, and with a MA from the University of Cincinnati.cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/outofdate/bios/b/8761.htm|title=Biography - Ambassador, Benin|date=March 14, 2002|publisher=U.S. State Department|accessdate=2008-07-30] Her career was initially in teaching, working at Maryland universities Morgan State and Bowie State, and Voorhees College in South Carolina, before entering the U.S. Foreign Service in 1980.

Between 1980 and 1990 she was posted as Vice-Consul to Brussels, and Labor Attaché/Political Officer in Kingston, Jamaica. At the Department of State Bridgewater was the longest serving diplomat in South Africa, posted as Political Officer at Pretoria from 1990 to 1993, and as the first African-American woman appointed Consul General at Durban, from 1993 to 1996. Here she worked with Nelson Mandela during the transition of South Africa away from apartheid.cite web|url=http://www.dom.com/about/education/strong/2004/bridgewater.jsp|title=Excellence in Leadership - 2004 Honoree|date=2004|publisher=Dominion Resources, Inc.|accessdate=2008-07-30]

From 1996 to 1999 she was Deputy Chief of Mission in Nassau, Bahamas. Bridgewater was a member and president of the 42nd Senior Seminar, the U.S. Department of State's most prestigious professional development program, from 1999 to 2000, before serving as U.S. Ambassador to Benin from October 2000 to January 2003. Subsequently she was appointed U.S. deputy assistant secretary for African affairs in December 2002, where she managed the African bureau's relationships with 16 countries in West Africa. She served as Diplomat-in-Residence at Howard University from September 2004 to May 2005. From June 2005 to July 2008 Bridgewater was the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana.

Recognition

* Department of State Superior Honor Awards (3)
* Presidential Meritorious Service Award
* Honorary doctorate of laws from Virginia State University in 1997
* National Order of Benin in 2002
* Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development in 2002
* Dominion Resources Strong Leaders Award 2004
* Honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Cincinnati in 2006

References

External links

* [http://www.state.gov/outofdate/bios/b/54587.htm Biography at U.S. State Department]