Makila James
| Makila James | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Ambassador to Swaziland | |
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In office August 27, 2012 – February 5, 2016 |
|
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Earl M. Irving |
| Succeeded by | Lisa J. Peterson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 1957 |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Louis Wells |
| Children | 1 |
| Profession | Foreign service officer |
Makila James (born July 1957) is an American diplomat who has been a career Foreign Service Officer within the U.S. State Department. Beginning in 1988, she has had a series of postings and roles related to the Caribbean and Africa, leading to her being the Director of the Office of Caribbean Affairs from 2009 to 2012. She then served as the United States Ambassador to Swaziland from 2012 to 2016.
James was born in July 1957 in New York to parents Albert and Eddie Mae James, who had nine other children.
She attended Cornell University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree with a double major Africana Studies and American History in 1979. There she was one of a relatively few African-American members of the Quill and Dagger society. She has said that her dual study program and her involvement at the Cornell Africana Studies and Research Center had a strong impact on the direction her career took, that from the beginning of her time at Cornell she wanted to be "a woman in front of the train," and that she finds it encouraging that the Africana program was still going strong.
She then attended Columbia University Law School, where she gained a J.D. in 1982.
James married Louis Wells and the couple have one child.
Makila James became a career Foreign Service Officer within the State Department, starting in 1988. Her positions have generally been with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Bureau of African Affairs. Her first overseas assignments included being a consular officer in Jamaica, a political/economics officer in Nigeria, and a political officer in Zimbabwe. She served as the desk officer in the Office of West African Affairs, international relations officer in the Office of International Organization Affairs, and watch officer at the Operations Center.
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