Pasi, Geeta – Republic of Ethiopia – July 2020

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:                  Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

CANDIDATE:     Geeta Pasi

Ms. Pasi, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the Department of State.  She previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Chad (2016-2018) and to Djibouti (2011-2014).  Ms. Pasi has extensive experience working closely with host governments on development, collaborating on defense and counterterrorism matters, and promoting American business.    Her distinguished diplomatic career, her strong record of leadership, and her extensive experience in Africa and South Asia make her an excellent candidate to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia.

Ms. Pasi served as Director of Career Development and Assignments for the State Department, Director of the Department’s Office of East African Affairs, Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Deputy Principal Officer at U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt, Germany.  She was Afghanistan Desk Officer in the Office of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh Affairs, Political Officer, U.S. Embassy New Delhi, India, and Political Officer, U.S. Embassy Accra, Ghana.  She was a Line Officer in the Department’s Executive Secretariat, Desk Officer for Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, Consular and Political Officer at U.S. Embassy Bucharest, Romania, and Political-Economic Officer at U.S. Consulate Doula, Cameroon.

Ms. Pasi earned a B.A. from Duke University and an M.A. from New York University.  She has won numerous Department of State performance awards, including the Matilde W. Sinclaire Language Award.  She speaks French, German, Hindi, Romanian and Russian.