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Dorothy Shea

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Dorothy Shea
23rd United States Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 16, 2024
Serving with Ned Price
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byRichard M. Mills Jr.
United States Ambassador to Lebanon
In office
March 11, 2020 – December 28, 2023
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byElizabeth H. Richard
Succeeded byLisa A. Johnson
Personal details
Born
Dorothy Camille Shea
EducationUniversity of Virginia (BA)
Georgetown University (MS)
National War College (MS)

Dorothy Camille Shea[1] is an American career diplomat who has served as the United States Deputy Representative to the United Nations since 2024. She previously had served as the United States Ambassador to Lebanon from 2020 to 2023.[2] On December 7, 2022, she received the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award for sustained extraordinary accomplishment. On January 3, 2023, President Biden announced his intention to nominate her as Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Deputy Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations as well as Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Education

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Shea earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia, a Master of Science from Georgetown University, and a Master of Science from the National War College.[3]

Career

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She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. She had served as Deputy Principal Officer at the United States Consulate General in Jerusalem, as Director of the Office of Assistance for Asia and the Near East in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, and as a Pearson Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She was also the Political/Economic Counselor at the United States Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, a Political Officer at the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, a Director for Democracy and Human Rights at the National Security Council, and a Special Assistant to the Special Envoy for War Crimes Issues in the United States Department of State.[3] Prior to her appointment as Ambassador she served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy, Cairo, Egypt from 2017 to 2020.[4]

United States Ambassador to Lebanon

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Shea with Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab

On October 11, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Shea to be the next United States Ambassador to Lebanon. On October 17, 2019, her nomination was sent to the United States Senate.[5] On December 17, 2019, a hearing was held on her nomination before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.[6] On January 15, 2020, her nomination was reported out of committee. On February 11, 2020, her nomination was unanimously confirmed by voice vote.[7] She presented her credentials to President Michel Aoun on March 11, 2020.[8]

Media ban

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Within a few months after assuming her ambassadorship in Lebanon, Shea vocally criticized Hezbollah, a militant group and political organization in Lebanon which is labelled a terrorist organization by the United States and several other countries. Shea accused Hezbollah of interfering in attempts to improve Lebanon's devastated economy and of draining billions of dollars in funds from the Lebanese government.[9] She also criticized a speech by Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah blaming the United States for the economic crisis. In June 2020, following her remarks, Judge Mohammad Mazeh accused her of violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. He said that her comments interfered in Lebanon's internal affairs, "offended many Lebanese," and increased sectarian tensions. Mazeh passed an order preventing her from making any public statement, as well as forbidding any local or foreign media outlet working in Lebanon from conducting interviews with her or on pain of a $200,000 fine.[10][11] However, the decision was not implemented, and Mazeh was called to appear before the Judicial Inspection Board. He refused and submitted his resignation.[12][13] Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm accepted it on 14 July.[14]

Deputy UN Representative

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On January 3, 2023, President Joe Biden nominated Shea to be Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Deputy Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations as well as Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 21, 2023. Her nomination was favorably reported by the committee on July 13, 2023.[15][16]

On August 1, 2024, the Senate voted 59-34 to confirm Shea's nomination.[17]

Personal life

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Shea speaks French and Arabic.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ambassador Dorothy Camille Shea".
  2. ^ https://www.facebook.com/USEmbassyBeirut/videos/809913800941958 [bare URL]
  3. ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts" White House, October 11, 2019 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ "Shea, Dorothy - Lebanese Republic - November 2019". United States Department of State. November 8, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Eighteen Nominations Sent to the Senate – The White House". trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov.
  6. ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations". www.foreign.senate.gov. 17 December 2019.
  7. ^ "PN1231 - Nomination of Dorothy Shea for Department of State, 116th Congress (2019-2020)". www.congress.gov. February 11, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  8. ^ Maloy, TK (2020-03-12). "US Ambassador Dorothy Shea presents her credentials to President Aoun". Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  9. ^ Wemer, David (2020-07-02). "Hezbollah takes control of Lebanon's judiciary in assault on rule of law". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  10. ^ "أمر قضائي بمنع السفيرة الأمريكية في لبنان من الإدلاء بتصريحات.. وردود عاصفة- (فيديو) | سعد الياس". القدس العربي. 2020-06-27. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  11. ^ "Lebanon's media banned from talking to U.S. envoy after Hezbollah critique". NBC News. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  12. ^ Zakhour, Maria (2020-06-30). "Lebanese Judge Resigned After Controversial Decision Against US Ambassador". The961. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  13. ^ "القاضي محمد مازح يستقيل!". الجمهورية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  14. ^ "Najm avalise la démission du juge Mazeh". L'Orient-Le Jour. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  15. ^ "PN46 — Dorothy Camille Shea — Department of State 118th Congress (2023-2024)". US Congress. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  16. ^ "PN47 — Dorothy Camille Shea — Department of State 118th Congress (2023-2024)". US Congress. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  17. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Dorothy Camille Shea, of North Carolina, to be Deputy Representative of the U.S.A. to the United Nations and the Deputy Representative)". United States Senate. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Lebanon
2020–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations
2024–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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