Kerry Ann Jones to Assistant Secretary of State for OES

President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones for Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the Department of State.

Kerri-Ann is currently an independent consultant. She has served previously as the Director of the National Science Foundation’s Office of International Science and Engineering. Dr. Jones has also served as Acting Director and Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs in the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP). Prior to joining OSTP, Dr. Jones worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where her work focused on science and technology development activities. She served in New Delhi, India as the biotechnology advisor to the USAID mission. Dr. Jones began her government career as a Science, Engineering, and Diplomacy fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and a B.A. in Chemistry from Barnard College.

This is a great appointment. I have know Kerry Ann since she applied for the AAAS Fellowship program and have had the pleasure of working with her on a couple of occasions. She is a consumate professional, broadly experienced, who brings a great background to an important post. Recall that areas such as the Law of the Seas Convention, Climate Change, and science and technology for development will fall under her responsibility when she is confirmed for the post. It will be great to have someone in place who understands science and the use of scientific advisory bodies in that position, as well as who understands diplomacy and the range of international systems problems.

Here is a story on her done a few years ago.