Stephanie Sanders Sullivan has been nominated by President Joe Biden to represent the United States of America at the African Union, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Stephanie Sanders Sullivan, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, served as Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana from 2018 – 2022. Previously, she was Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs. She served earlier as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Congo, and before that, as Chief of Staff for the Deputy Secretary of State.
In earlier assignments, Sullivan was Managing Director of the Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation, and she also provided management support to posts in Africa, the Western Hemisphere, and Europe, as well as international organizations.
She served multiple tours in the State Department Operations Center, including as Director, and as Duty Officer at the White House Situation Room. Her first diplomatic assignment was in Cameroon.
Sullivan earned a Bachelor’s degree at Brown University and a Master’s degree at the National Defense University. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She speaks French, Lingala, and basic Spanish.