Bernadette M. Allen

Bernadette Mary Allen (born 1956) is a United States foreign service officer and ambassador. She is the former U.S. Ambassador to Niger.

Allen was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Seat Pleasant, Maryland. She earned a B.A. in French Civilization and Linguistics at Central College in Pella, Iowa in 1978. She studied abroad for a year in 1977, earning a Certificate in French Civilization from the Sorbonne in Paris. From 1987–1989 she completed an M.A. in Human Resources Management from George Washington University while handling her regular duties at the Department of State. She speaks French and Mandarin Chinese.

Allen was commissioned into the U.S. diplomatic service in January 1980. On October 26, 2005, President George W. Bush nominated her to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Niger. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 16, 2006, and sworn in as ambassador on March 28, 2006.

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