Amb. Bonnie Jenkins

Ambassador Jenkins has served as the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security since July 22, 2021. In this role, she oversees three key bureaus: the Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability Bureau; the International Security and Nonproliferation Bureau (ISN); and the Political-Military Affairs Bureau. Notably, she was appointed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in May 2023 to lead the Department’s implementation efforts on AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ambassador Jenkins has the distinction of being  the first African American to hold the position of Under Secretary of State.

Her previous roles include serving as Special Envoy and Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs in the ISN bureau during the Obama Administration, where she coordinated U.S. government efforts to prevent non-state actors from acquiring materials for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Ambassador Jenkins was also instrumental in leading the U.S. delegation at the Nuclear Security Summits from 2010 to 2016 and served as the U.S. Representative to the G7 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. In addition, she led the Obama Administration’s diplomatic work on the Global Health Security Agenda from 2014–2017 and established the Global Health Security Consortium and the Global Health Security Next Generation Network. Her earlier government experience includes her appointment as counsel to the 9/11 Commission, as well as service as a legal advisor to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

In addition to her government service, Ambassador Jenkins was a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings Institution and has been a strong advocate for women of color in the security and peacebuilding sectors. She founded the nonprofit organizations Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security (WCAPS) and Organizations in Solidarity, and has played a pivotal role in establishing mentorship programs and initiatives to promote diversity in international affairs.

Ambassador Jenkins is well known at the Elliott School, where she has previously taught courses on arms control and weapons of mass destruction as a professorial lecturer. In 2021, Ambassador Jenkins delivered the Elliott School’s graduation keynote address.

Ambassador Jenkins holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Virginia, an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law from Georgetown University Law Center, and several other advanced degrees. She was a fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. She is a retired U.S. Naval Reserve Officer. In 2023, she became an honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.