Jennie Alvarez '87 Nominated as U.S. Ambassador

Jennie Alvarez '87 has been appointed U.S. Ambassador-designate to a South American nation, a nomination now pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate. If confirmed, Jennie will represent the United States in a country she has visited extensively throughout her career and where she speaks the local language fluently.

The nomination caps a three-decade career in the Foreign Service that has taken Jennie through postings in Argentina, Peru, and most recently as Deputy Chief of Mission in Ecuador. She joined the State Department shortly after completing a master's degree in international relations at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, following an undergraduate degree in Latin American Studies from Swarthmore College.

Jennie traces the origins of her diplomatic career to an unexpected source: GFS Meeting for Worship. "I know it sounds like a stretch, but sitting in silence every week, learning to wait before you speak, to really listen for what's underneath what someone is saying — that's diplomacy," she said. "I didn't understand it as training at the time. I understand it now."

Colleagues describe Jennie as a patient, exacting negotiator known for building trust with counterparts across political divides. Pending Senate confirmation, she and her husband, a fellow Foreign Service officer, expect to relocate to the region later this year.