Marguerita Dianne Ragsdale
{{Short description|American diplomat}}
Marguerita Dianne Ragsdale (born 1948){{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Karina |title=Marguerita Ragsdale |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ragsdale-marguerita-1948/ |website=BlackPast |date=21 January 2015 |accessdate=6 January 2020}} is a Career Foreign Service Officer who served as the American Ambassador to Djibouti from February 1, 2004 until July 6, 2006.{{cite web |title=Marguerita Dianne Ragsdale Ambassador, Republic of Djibouti |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/outofdate/bios/r/36520.htm |website=State Department Archives |accessdate=6 January 2020}}{{cite web |title=Marguerita Dianne Ragsdale (1948–) |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/ragsdale-marguerita-dianne |website=Office of the Historian |accessdate=6 January 2020}}
Biography
Born in Richmond, Virginia but raised on a farm in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, (McKenney, Virginia) Ragsdale has a B.A. degree from American University in Washington, D.C., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia, and a J.D. degree from Columbia University.
Career
Considered a Middle East specialist, Ragsdale’s first assignment was as the Junior Consular and General Services Officer at the American Embassy in Kuwait in 1984. Two years later, she served as Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Djibouti has strategic and political importance for the United States because of its location on the Horn of Africa overlooking the Gulf of Aden. Camp Lemonnier, the only U.S. military base on the African continent, is there. While Ambassador, the US donated several refurbished Coast Guard vessels as part of an effort to bolster Djibouti’s navy. Work began on the Defense Fuel Supply Point (DFSP) at the Port of Doraleh while Ragsdale was Ambassador. She oversaw $27 million in direct aid for educational and healthcare assistance.
References
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Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Djibouti
Category:American University alumni
Category:University of Virginia alumni
Category:Columbia Law School alumni
Category:People from Dinwiddie County, Virginia
Category:United States Foreign Service personnel
Category:American women ambassadors