(C) U.S. State Dept This story was originally published by U.S. State Dept and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Upcoming Digital Press Briefing: U.S. Efforts with African Partners to Advance Peace and Security [1] [] Date: 2024-02 EVENT: Please join us on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, for a digital press briefing with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs Assistant Secretary of State, Molly Phee; Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Michael Hammer; and U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Sudan, John T. Godfrey. Assistant Secretary Phee, Ambassador Hammer, and Ambassador Godfrey will discuss the recent African Union Summit in Addis Ababa and U.S. efforts in partnership with African institutions to promote peace and stability in Eastern DRC, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. After brief opening remarks, the speakers will take questions from participating journalists. DETAILS: Speakers: Molly Phee, U.S. Department of State Bureau of African Affairs Assistant Secretary of State Michael Hammer, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa John Godfrey, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Sudan Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024 Time: 15:30 Johannesburg | 13:30 GMT | 08:30 Washington, D.C. Language: English. French and Arabic interpretation will be provided. Ground rules: The briefing will be on the record. Login info: To be provided upon RSVP. RSVP: Please RSVP by clicking here Twitter: Join the conversation #AFHubPress and follow us on @AfricaMediaHub. BIOGRAPHIES: Molly Phee Assistant Secretary Bureau of African Affairs Molly Phee, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor, was sworn in as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs on September 30, 2021. She most recently served as the Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation. She was U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan from 2015-2017. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan. Additionally, she was the Acting Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs, as well as Deputy Security Council Coordinator at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, handling UN engagement in Africa and the Middle East for both portfolios. Earlier in her career, Phee served on the National Security Council as Director for Iraq and as the Senior Civilian Representative of the Coalition Provisional Authority to Maysan Province, Iraq. She began her career at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, and worked at U.S. Embassies in Cairo, Egypt and Kuwait City, Kuwait. A native of Chicago, Ambassador Phee is a graduate of Indiana University and earned a Master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She has received the Distinguished Honor Award, the Robert C. Frasure Memorial Award for conflict resolution and peacemaking, the Baker-Wilkins Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission, the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Order of the British Empire Award, and a Presidential Rank Award. She speaks Arabic. Michael Hammer Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Bureau of African Affairs Ambassador Michael (Mike) A. Hammer was named the United States Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa on June 1, 2022. His most recent assignment abroad was as the U.S. ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2018-2022. Ambassador Hammer is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service class of Minister-Counselor. His over three decades of service include serving as Acting Senior Vice President of the National Defense University (NDU). He served as U.S. ambassador to Chile from 2014-2016. Prior to his appointment in Chile, Ambassador Hammer served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from March 2012 to August 2013. Before joining the Bureau of Public Affairs, Ambassador Hammer served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President, Senior Director for Press and Communications, and National Security Council Spokesperson from January 2009 to January 2011. He previously served at the National Security Council as Deputy Spokesperson from 1999 to 2000 and as the Director of Andean Affairs from 2000 to 2001. Ambassador Hammer’s overseas postings include Bolivia, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark. Domestically, he has also served in the State Department Operations Center. Ambassador Hammer has received several awards, including the Department’s Cobb award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development, the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award, the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award, the Department’s Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy, and several Superior Honor awards. Ambassador Hammer earned a Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He also earned Master’s degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and from the National War College at the National Defense University. Ambassador Hammer grew up in Latin America, living in Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. He is a native Spanish speaker, and speaks French, Portuguese, and Icelandic. Mike and his wife Margret Bjorgulfsdottir have three children. John T. Godfrey U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Sudan John Godfrey, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, is U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Sudan. He previously served as acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism and acting Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Prior to this he served as Principal Deputy Coordinator, and before that as Deputy Coordinator for Regional and Multilateral Affairs, in the Counterterrorism Bureau. Prior to that he was acting Deputy Chief of Mission (2017-2018) and Political Counselor (2015-2016) at U.S. Embassy Riyadh. He served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State during a period that encompassed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Egyptian Armed Forces’ removal from office of President Morsi, and the emergence of ISIS. Previous positions also include Arms Control Counselor at the U.S. Permanent Mission to International Organizations in Vienna; Deputy Political Counselor for Northern Affairs at U.S. Embassy Baghdad; and Political and Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy Tripoli, where he was part of the small team that finalized the U.S.-Libya Claims Settlement Agreement, securing compensation for families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing and other acts of terrorism. Mr. Godfrey holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles and an MA in Middle East and North Africa Studies from the University of Michigan. He speaks Arabic and Russian. LOGISTICS: [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.state.gov/upcoming-digital-press-briefing-u-s-efforts-with-african-partners-to-advance-peace-and-security/ Published and (C) by U.S. State Dept Content appears here under this condition or license: Public Domain. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/usstate/