Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley

Gina K. Abercrombie-Winstanley (born 1957) is the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malta, an American career diplomat, and keynote speaker. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed on March 29, 2012. She was sworn in on April 18, 2012, and presented her credentials to George Abela, President of Malta, on May 2, 2012.^[1]

Abercrombie-Winstanley was the first female Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.^[2] While there, she survived an al-Qaeda attack on the consulate on December 6, 2004, and was cited "for acts of courage" during the attack.^[3]

Gina Kay Abercrombie was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where her mother was a secretary and her father an attorney. She developed international interests early, which led to her participation in an international exchange program in Israel, followed by joining the U.S. Peace Corps as a volunteer in Oman.^[4]

Abercrombie-Winstanley joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1985 and was posted to Baghdad, Iraq. She then went on to serve at The U.S. Embassies in Jakarta, Indonesia and Cairo, Egypt. She returned state-side to become Special Assistant for Middle Eastern and African Affairs to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Lawrence Eagleburger (1991-1993). After a year of intensive Arabic language training in Tunisia, Abercrombie-Winstanley then became a Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel (1994–97), focusing on Palestinian-Israeli relations.^[5]

Positions and appointments

U.S. Department of State ^[3]

• Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Valletta, 2012 – Present
• Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, 2008 - 2012
• Director: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, Near Eastern Affairs Bureau, 2006-2008
• Director, Middle East Area Studies, Foreign Service Institute, 2005 - 2006
• Consul General, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2002 - 2005

Department of Defense

• Senior Policy Advisor, Near East South Asia Center (NESA), 2001 - 2002

National Security Council, The White House

• Near East South Asia Center (NESA) Director for the Arabian Peninsula, 1999 - 2000
• Director for Legislative Affairs, 1998 - 1999

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

• Staff Member, 1997- 1998

Honors and awards

Recipient of Senior Performance Pay, Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards, including "For acts of courage during an attack on the U.S. Consulate General, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on December 6, 2004 by al-Qa'ida terrorists."^[6]

Lectures and keynotes

• Opening address, International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, October 2014^[7]
• Keynoter, Remembering Rosa Parks, Cleveland, Ohio, Dec 2005, The Cleveland City Club^[4]

References