Julie D. Fisher

American diplomat

Julie D. Fisher
United States Ambassador to Cyprus
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 21, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJudith G. Garber
United States Ambassador to Belarus
In office
December 23, 2020 – June 9, 2022
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byJenifer H. Moore (acting)
Succeeded byRuben Harutunian (chargé d'affaires)
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
In office
September 1, 2018 – December 23, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Personal details
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BA)
Princeton University (MPP)

Julie D. Fisher is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Cyprus since February 2023.

Early life and education

Fisher earned her Bachelor of Arts in Russian and East European studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Public Policy from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.[1][2]

Career

Fisher is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, with the rank of minister-counselor. She previously served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Europe and the EU in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. Before that, she was the deputy permanent representative of the U.S. Mission to NATO leading preparations for the 2018 Brussels Summit and the move to the new NATO HQ.  She was the chief of staff to the deputy secretary of state for management and resources supporting reform efforts involving knowledge management, human resources and security at U.S. facilities abroad.  Prior to that, Fisher served as the director of the State Department's Operations Center, the 24/7 team that facilitates communications for the Secretary of State, department principals and colleagues around the globe; the Operations Center also hosts the department's task forces and crisis response teams.[1]

From 2011 to 2013, in support of the NATO Secretary-General, Fisher was detailed to NATO's international staff as deputy director of the Private Office. She has served in assignments at U.S. embassies in Tbilisi, Georgia; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Moscow, Russia, as well as tours at the National Security Council, the bureaus for European Affairs and Near Eastern Affairs, and as a member of the Secretary of State's Executive Secretariat Staff.[1]

United States ambassador-designate to Belarus

On April 20, 2020, President Donald Trump nominated Fisher to be the United States ambassador to Belarus. Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on August 5, 2020. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on September 22, 2020. Fisher was confirmed by the Senate on December 15, 2020, via voice vote,[3] Fisher was to become the first U.S. ambassador to Belarus since 2008 but was denied a visa by Belarusian authorities. She then served in Lithuania as a U.S. special envoy for Belarus in starting in October 2021. On June 9, 2022, Fisher announced that her tenure would be coming to an end.[4]

United States ambassador to Cyprus

On June 15, 2022, President Joe Biden announced Fisher's nomination to be the next ambassador to Cyprus.[5] On November 30, 2022, hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate on December 7, 2022. The Senate confirmed her nomination on December 13, 2022 via voice vote.[6] She was sworn in by acting Deputy Secretary John R. Bass on February 1, 2023,[7] and presented her credentials to President Nicos Anastasiades on February 21, 2023.[8]

Personal life

Fisher speaks Russian, French, and Georgian.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts – The White House". trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "Julie Fisher". United States Department of State. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "PN1733 — Julie D. Fisher — Department of State 116th Congress (2019-2020)". US Congress. December 15, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "An Open Letter to the People of Belarus from Ambassador Julie Fisher" (Press release). U.S. Embassy in Belarus. June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  5. ^ "President Biden Announces Key Nominees". The White House. June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "PN2257 - Nomination of Julie D. Fisher for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Cyprus Embassy in US [@CyprusinUSA] (February 1, 2023). "Happy to have attended the swearing-in ceremony for the new US Ambassador to Cyprus" (Tweet). Retrieved February 8, 2023 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Fisher, Julie [@USAmbCy] (February 21, 2023). "Thank you, President Anastasiades, for the warm welcome to Cyprus" (Tweet). Retrieved February 24, 2023 – via Twitter.

External links

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Belarus
2021–2022 		Succeeded by
Ruben Harutunian
Chargé d'Affaires
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Cyprus
2023–present 		Incumbent
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