Director General of the Foreign Service

Director General of the
United States Foreign Service
Seal of the U.S. Department of State
since June 6, 2022
United States Department of State
Reports toSecretary of State
Under Secretary of State for Management
SeatHarry S Truman Building,
Washington, D.C.
AppointerThe President
with the advice and consent of the Senate
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrument22 U.S.C. § 3928
(Foreign Service Act of 1980)
Inaugural holderSelden Chapin
Formation1946
Websitewww.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-management/bureau-of-global-talent-management/

The Director General of the Foreign Service is the designated manager of the United States Foreign Service.

The Director General is a current or former Foreign Service Officer, appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate.[1] Since November 23, 1975, under a Departmental administrative action, the Director General has concurrently held the title of Director of the Bureau of Global Talent Management.[2] As the head of the human resources bureau, the Director General holds a rank equivalent to an Assistant Secretary of State and reports to the Under Secretary of State for Management.[2][3][4]

The current Director General is Marcia Bernicat.

History

Congress created the position of Director General of the Foreign Service through the Foreign Service Act of 1946. Between 1946 and 1980, the Secretary of State designated the Director General.[2]

The Foreign Service Act of 1980 made the position a Presidential appointee.[2]

After 1986, the Director General became responsible for all personnel aspects of the Foreign Service and the Civil Service at the State Department, including advertising, examination, appointment, job assignments worldwide, disciplinary actions, and promotions to the Senior Foreign Service.[5]

List of directors general of the Foreign Service

# Director General Tenure President
1 Selden Chapin November 13, 1946 – April 30, 1947 Harry S. Truman
2 Christian M. Ravndal May 1, 1947 – June 23, 1949
3 Richard Porter Butrick September 7, 1949 – April 1, 1952
4 Gerald Augustin Drew March 30, 1952 – October 18, 1954 Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower
5 Raymond A. Hare October 19, 1954 – August 29, 1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower
6 Joseph Charles Satterthwaite May 6, 1957 – September 1, 1958
7 Waldemar John Gallman November 17, 1958 – January 31, 1961
8 Tyler Thompson May 14, 1961 – February 15, 1964 John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson
9 Joseph Palmer II February 16, 1964 – April 10, 1966 Lyndon B. Johnson
10 John Milton Steeves August 1, 1966 – July 31, 1969
11 John Howard Burns August 1, 1969 – June 15, 1971 Richard Nixon
12 William O. Hall July 5, 1971 – September 30, 1973
13 Nathaniel Davis November 13, 1973 – March 17, 1975 Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford
14 Carol Laise April 11, 1975 – December 26, 1977 Gerald Ford
15 Harry G. Barnes, Jr. December 22, 1977 – February 8, 1981 Jimmy Carter
16 Joan Margaret Clark July 27, 1981 – October 24, 1983 Ronald Reagan
17 Alfred Atherton December 2, 1983 – December 28, 1984
18 George Southall Vest June 8, 1985 – May 3, 1989
19 Edward Joseph Perkins September 22, 1989 – May 7, 1992 George H. W. Bush
20 Genta Hawkins Holmes September 7, 1992 – August 18, 1995 George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton
21 Anthony Cecil Eden Quainton December 29, 1995 – August 22, 1997 Bill Clinton
22 Edward William Gnehm August 25, 1997 – June 14, 2000
23 Marc Isaiah Grossman June 19, 2000 – March 26, 2001
24 Ruth A. Davis June 15, 2001 – June 30, 2003 George W. Bush
25 W. Robert Pearson October 7, 2003 – February 27, 2006
26 George McDade Staples May 25, 2006 – June 27, 2007
27 Harry K. Thomas, Jr. September 21, 2007 – June 24, 2009 George W. Bush, Barack Obama
28 Nancy Jo Powell August 3, 2009 – January 6, 2012[6] Barack Obama
29 Linda Thomas-Greenfield April 2, 2012 – August 2, 2013
30 Arnold A. Chacón December 22, 2014 – June 2, 2017 Barack Obama, Donald Trump
- William E. Todd (Acting) June 12, 2017 - February 1, 2019 Donald Trump
31 Carol Z. Perez February 1, 2019 – June 6, 2022 Donald Trump, Joe Biden
32 Marcia Bernicat June 6, 2022 - present Joe Biden

References

  1. ^ "22 U.S. Code § 3928 - Director General of Foreign Service". Cornell Law School. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Directors General of the Foreign Service". U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  3. ^ "Assistant Secretaries and Equivalent Rank". U.S. Department of State. January 20, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  4. ^ "Department Organization Chart". U.S. Department of State. March 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  5. ^ "Up or Out — The Challenges of the State Department Personnel System". Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  6. ^ "Nancy Jo Powell - People - Department History - Office of the Historian".