For all other officials, please see: List of Bureaus and Offices. You can also access a list of other principal biographies by name or title.
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Deputy Secretary: Antony Blinken The Deputy Secretary serves as the principal deputy, adviser, and alter ego to the Secretary of State; serves as Acting Secretary of State when called upon; and assists the Secretary in the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy and in giving general supervision and direction to all elements of the Department. Specific duties and supervisory responsibilities have varied over time. Term of Appointment: 01/09/2015 to present Biography |
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Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources: Heather Higginbottom The Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources serves as Chief Operating Officer of the Department. The Deputy Secretary also serves as principal adviser to the Secretary on overall supervision and direction of resource allocation and management activities of the Department. The Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources assists in carrying out the Secretary's authority and responsibility for the overall direction, coordination and supervision of operational programs of the State Department, including foreign aid and civilian response programs. Term of Appointment: 12/28/2013 to present Biography |
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Under Secretary for Political Affairs: Thomas A. Shannon, Jr. The Under Secretary is the Department's fourth-ranking official. He serves as the day-to-day manager of overall regional and bilateral policy issues, and oversees six geographically defined bureaus and one functional bureau that report to the Under Secretary–bureaus for Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Near East, South and Central Asia, the Western Hemisphere, and International Organizations. Term of Appointment: 2/12/2016 to present Biography |
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Under Secretary for Management: Patrick F. Kennedy The Under Secretary is responsible for providing the operational platform and facilities that the United States needs to carry out its foreign policy mission. Responsible for the people, resources, budget, facilities, technology, financial operations, consular affairs, logistics, contracting, and security for Department of State operations, and is the Secretary’s principal advisor on management issues. Term of Appointment: 11/06/2007 to present Biography |
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Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs: Richard Stengel The Under Secretary leads America's public diplomacy outreach, which includes communications with international audiences, cultural programming, academic grants, educational exchanges, international visitor programs, and U.S. Government efforts to confront ideological support for terrorism. The Under Secretary oversees the bureaus of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Public Affairs, and International Information Programs, as well as the Global Engagement Center, and participates in foreign policy development. Term of Appointment: 2/14/2014 to present Biography |
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Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security: Thomas Countryman (Acting) The Under Secretary leads the interagency policy process on nonproliferation and manages global U.S. security policy, principally in the areas of nonproliferation, arms control, regional security and defense relations, and arms transfers and security assistance. Term of Appointment: 09/27/2011 to present Biography |
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Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights: Sarah Sewall The Under Secretary oversees eight bureaus and offices–the Bureaus of Conflict and Stabilization Operations; Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; International Narcotics and Law Enforcement; Population, Refugees and Migration; and Counterterrorism; and the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons; the Office of Global Criminal Justice; and the Office of Global Youth Issues–that contribute to the security of the American people and nations around the world by assisting countries to build more democratic, secure, stable, and just societies. Term of Appointment: 2/20/2014 to present Biography |
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Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment: Catherine A. Novelli The Under Secretary serves as the senior economic official at the State Department; advises the Secretary of State on international economic policy; and leads the work of the Department on issues ranging from energy, trade, agriculture, and aviation to bilateral relations with America's economic partners. Term of Appointment: 4/22/2014 to present Biography |
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Counselor of the Department: Kristie A. Kenney The Counselor is a principal officer who serves the Secretary as a special advisor and consultant on major problems of foreign policy and who provides guidance to the appropriate bureaus with respect to such matters. Term of Appointment: 2/12/2016 to present Biography |