President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who served as the top U.S. diplomat overseeing African affairs in the Obama administration, to be his ambassador to the United Nations, according to multiple media reports. 

Biden’s nomination of Thomas-Greenfield would elevate a Black woman and career foreign service official to the high-profile position. She would bring a markedly different tone and presence to the international body, which the Trump administration has derided and denigrated. The move was first reported by the Washington Post, CBS News and other outlets.

“If true, amazing news!” tweeted Tom Perriello, a former Democratic congressman and diplomat. He said Thomas-Greenfield is “a diplomatic powerhouse respected around the world. I’ve witnessed her getting human rights activists freed and kleptocrats held accountable.”

Nicholas Burns, a former longtime State Department official who served Republican and Democratic administrations, said Thomas-Greenfield’s nomination would raise morale inside the foreign service and boost America’s standing on the world stage.

“She is universally admired and respected in the Foreign Service and will help to revive American diplomacy,” Burns tweeted.

Thomas-Greenfield was U.S. ambassador to Liberia from 2008 to 2012, and she has also served in numerous other posts around the world, from Kenya to Pakistan. 

 

 

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