Home2021 Certificates of Competency for Nominees to be Chiefs of Mission ...Meehan, Bernadette M. – Republic of Chile- July 2021 hide Meehan, Bernadette M. – Republic of Chile- July 2021 Certificate of Competency July 30, 2021 REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS UNITED STATES SENATE SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service Act, Section 304(a)(4) POST: Republic of Chile CANDIDATE: Bernadette M. Meehan Bernadette Meehan currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Global Programs for the Obama Foundation where she also served previously as Chief International Officer and Executive Director of International Programs. Prior to joining the Obama Foundation, Ms. Meehan was a career Foreign Service Officer for over a decade. During her time with the State Department she was detailed to work in multiple positions at the National Security Council, including as a Senior Advisor, as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Spokesperson, and earlier, as Director for Strategic Communications. She was also a Dean and Virginia Rusk Fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. Ms. Meehan also served as Special Assistant to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Her extensive engagement on a diverse and complex array of foreign policy issues coupled with her in-depth and nuanced understanding of the working of the policy process make her well-qualified to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Chile. Among her other assignments, Ms. Meehan was a Special Assistant in the State Department Executive Secretariat; a Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate General Dubai, United Arab Emirates; both a Consular Officer and Special Assistant to the Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq; and a Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. Prior to joining the Foreign Service Ms. Meehan worked as a Vice President at both Lehman Brothers and J.P. Morgan Chase in New York. Her civic leadership includes service on the Board of Advisors at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and the Advisory Council of Hostage US. Ms. Meehan earned her B.A. from Boston College. She speaks Spanish and Arabic and is the recipient of multiple State Department performance awards.
