Stuart Chevalier Professor of Practice, Diplomacy & World Affairs
B.S.F.S. Georgetown University; M.A. University of Virginia
Appointed In
2026
Hours
Office hours by appt at least 2 hours before
At 91ÁÔÆæ, Ambassador Palmer bridges the practice of diplomacy and the study of Diplomacy and World Affairs.
She teaches the course Diplomacy in Practice: Skills for International Careers, brings distinguished practitioners and thought leaders to campus to engage students on pressing global issues, and mentors students pursuing internships and careers in diplomacy, international affairs, and public service.
As U.S. Ambassador to Ghana from 2022-25, Ambassador Palmer led a staff of 900 managing the United States™ economic and security relationship with a key West African partner and U.S. development assistance in more than a dozen African countries. Before moving to Ghana, she was Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources at the Department of State, overseeing U.S. foreign policy engagement at the critical intersection of our energy, climate and national security goals. She took up that post after serving as Deputy Commandant of the National Defense University Eisenhower School.
As U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malawi from 2015-19, she oversaw an annual bilateral assistance budget of more than $500 million and the work of eleven U.S. government agencies. She was Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d™Affaires at the U.S. embassies in South Africa (2011-14) and Vietnam (2008-11).
From 2005-08, Ambassador Palmer was the State Department Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, responsible for terrorist finance sanctions and regional initiatives to degrade terrorist capability. From 2004-05, she was Director of the State Department's Office of Economic Policy for East Asia. In overseas assignments at U.S. embassies in Kenya, Canada, Zimbabwe, China, and Hong Kong, she worked on political-military affairs, trade and agriculture, and human rights issues.