Bonnie Jenkins

Last updated
Bonnie Jenkins
Bonnie Jenkins, Under Secretary of State.jpg
18th Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs
In office
July 22, 2021 –December 31, 2024 [1]

Bonnie Denise Jenkins [2] (born in Queens, New York) is an American diplomat who served as the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security in the Biden Administration. [3] During the Obama administration, she was the U.S. Department of State's coordinator for threat reduction programs in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. [4] She is currently the Shapiro Visiting Professor at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. [5]

Contents

Early life and education

Jenkins "didn't come from lots of money or anything" while growing up in the South Bronx and credited access to scholarships as a means to advance her education. [6]

Jenkins received a Bachelor of Arts with majors in psychology and black studies from Amherst College in 1982. She received a Juris Doctor and a Master of Public Administration from the State University of New York at Albany in 1988. She received a Master of Laws in international and comparative law from Georgetown University in 1995, and a Doctor of Philosophy in international relations from the University of Virginia in 2005. [7] [8]

Career

Jenkins at the Halifax International Security Forum 2017 2017 Halifax International Security Forum (24629070948) (cropped) Bonnie Jenkins.jpg
Jenkins at the Halifax International Security Forum 2017

Jenkins entered government as a Presidential Management Fellow serving in varying capacities in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and later the Office of Management and Budget. After completion of her fellowship, Jenkins served as a legal advisor for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency to U.S. ambassadors and delegations negotiating arms control and nonproliferation treaties for almost a decade. After the Agency disbanded, Jenkins served as General Counsel to the U.S. commission to assess the organization of the federal government to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and as a consultant to the 2000 National Commission on Terrorism.

Jenkins served as counsel on the 9/11 Commission. [9] She was the lead Commission staff member on counter-terrorism policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on U.S. military plans targeting al Qaeda prior to 9/11. [10]

Academic career

In the fall of 2000, Jenkins began her Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Virginia. During her studies, Jenkins served as a summer research fellow at the RAND Corporation's national security division focusing on weapons of mass destruction. Additionally, she was a pre-doctoral fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. During her years at Belfer, she served as an advisor at Harvard Law School's Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising. She completed her studies in 2005 [11] with a thesis entitled Why International Instruments to Combat Nuclear Proliferation Succeed or Fail: A Study of Interaction of International and Domestic Level Factors [2] and served as the program officer for U.S. foreign and security policy at the Ford Foundation. [11] Her grant-making responsibilities sought to strengthen public engagement in U.S. foreign and security policy debate and formulation. She promoted support for multiculturalism, the peaceful resolution of disputes, and the international rule of law. She has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School and co-led arms control and nonproliferation simulated negotiations at Stanford University's Center for International Center and Security Cooperation. She is currently the Shapiro Visiting Professor at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. [12]

Military career

Jenkins began her military career in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps in the Air Force Reserves. Later she transferred to the U.S. Naval Reserves, serving over twenty years including in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She received numerous awards in her time as an officer in the Naval Reserve, including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Navy Pistol Marksman Ribbon. [10]

In the Obama administration

Jenkins with Secretary of State John Kerry in 2016 Ambassador Jenkins Introduces Secretary Kerry to Address the Global Health Security Agenda Meeting (31606877776).jpg
Jenkins with Secretary of State John Kerry in 2016

Jenkins was selected as the U.S. Department of State's Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation in the Obama Administration with the rank of ambassador. [4] She was also the U.S. representative to the G7 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (WMD) and chaired the Global Partnership in 2012. She was the Department of State lead on the Nuclear Security Summit, and coordinated the Department of State's activities related to the effort to secure vulnerable nuclear materials. Jenkins formerly coordinated the Department of State's Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) programs and helped promote these programs internationally. Jenkins engaged in outreach efforts and regularly briefed United States Combatant Commands about WMD programs in their area of responsibility, worked closely with relevant international organizations and multilateral initiatives, and with non-governmental organizations engaged in CTR-related activities. She was a legal adviser on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, among others. She has also served as U.S. legal adviser on relevant treaty implementing bodies, such as the CTBT Organization (CTBTO), and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). [10]

Jenkins was also engaged in the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), which is an international effort with over 50 countries to reduce infections disease threats such as Ebola and Zika. Launched in February 2014, Jenkins has worked closely with governments to help ensure they recognize that GHSA is a multi-sectoral effort requiring the engagement of all relevant stakeholders to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats. [13] Jenkins leads an international effort to engage non-governmental stakeholders in the GHSA and she has also developed a GHSA Next Generation network.

Jenkins has dedicated significant attention to the engagement of Africa in the threat of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons and working closely with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), has developed a program named Threat Reduction in Africa (TRIA) to help ensure that U.S. programs and activities in CBRN security are well-coordinated and as accurately as possible meet the needs of countries where those programs are engaged.

Jenkins served as the Leadership Liaison for the Department of State's Veterans-at-State Affinity Group. She also served on the Department of State's Diversity Governance Board.

In the Trump administration

In September 2017, Jenkins founded the non-profit Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security (WCAPS) to advance the leadership and professional development of women of color in the fields of international peace, security, and conflict transformation. She led the organization until mid-2021 when she returned to government service. [14]

In November 2020, Jenkins was named a volunteer member of the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the United States Department of State. [15]

In the Biden administration

Jenkins with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in 2022 Rafael Mariano Grossi with Bonnie Jenkins (011111769) (52028346146).jpg
Jenkins with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in 2022

In March 2021, President Biden nominated Jenkins to be Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs. Hearings were held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jenkins' nomination on April 28, 2021. On May 25, 2021, the committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor. On July 21, 2021, Jenkins was confirmed by the Senate in a vote of 52–48. [16] [17]

Jenkins assumed office on July 22, 2021. [18]

Personal life

Jenkins is an alumna of A Better Chance, a non-profit which assists gifted young people of color attend highly ranked secondary schools, gaining attendance to The Spence School in New York City for high school. [10] [19] She became an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 2023. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons</span> International treaty

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. Between 1965 and 1968, the treaty was negotiated by the Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament, a United Nations-sponsored organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Robert L. Gallucci is an American academic and diplomat, who formerly worked as president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He previously served as dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, from 1996 to June 2009. Prior to his appointment in 1996, for over two decades he had served in various governmental and international agencies, including the Department of State and the United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Wolfsthal</span> American security analyst

Jon Wolfsthal is an American security analyst currently serving as director of global risk at the Federation of American Scientists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Joseph</span> American academic and ambassador

Robert G. Joseph is a senior scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy. He was the United States Special Envoy for Nuclear Nonproliferation, with ambassadorial rank. Prior to this post, Joseph was the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, a position he held until January 24, 2007. Joseph is known for being instrumental in creating the Proliferation Security Initiative and as the architect of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. He was also the US chief negotiator to Libya in 2003 who convinced the Libyans to give up their WMD programs. He also recently authored a book describing his experience in negotiating with Libya entitled "Countering WMD."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey</span> International affairs school of Middlebury College (Vermont)

The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), formerly the Monterey Institute of International Studies, is a graduate institute of Middlebury College, a private college in Middlebury, Vermont. Established in 1955, the school provides instruction on a campus in Monterey, California. The institute offers master's programs and certificates in environmental policy, international policy, language teaching, and translation and interpretation. It is host to several related centers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security</span> U.S. government position

The under secretary of state for arms control and international security (T) is a position within the U.S. Department of State that serves as a senior adviser to the president and the secretary of state for arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation</span> U.S. State Department division

The Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) is a bureau within the United States Department of State responsible for managing a broad range of nonproliferation and counterproliferation functions. The bureau leads U.S. efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, advanced conventional weapons, and related materials, technologies, and expertise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard A. Falkenrath</span>

Richard A. Falkenrath Jr. served as deputy commissioner of counter-terrorism of the New York City Police Department from 2006 to 2010. He was the third person to hold this position. His predecessors were Frank Libutti and Michael A. Sheehan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orde Kittrie</span> American academic

Orde Félix Kittrie is a tenured professor of law at Arizona State University, where his teaching and research focus on international law and criminal law. He has written extensively in the areas of international law, criminal law, nuclear non-proliferation, and international negotiations. Professor Kittrie is also the director of ASU's Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law Washington Legal Externship Program. Professor Kittrie was recipient of the 2006-2007 Centennial Professor of the Year award at ASU, a university-wide honor presented in recognition of outstanding teaching inside and outside of the classroom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Gottemoeller</span> American diplomat (born 1953)

Rose Eilene Gottemoeller is an American diplomat who served as Deputy Secretary General of NATO from October 2016 to October 2019 under Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Before then she was the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. State Department.

John Stern Wolf served as a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State from 1970–2004, including tours as Ambassador to Malaysia, Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation, and Chief Monitor, The Middle East Roadmap for Peace. He retired in July 2014 as President of Eisenhower Fellowships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe — is an international non-governmental organisation uniting leading world-renowned experts on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, materials and delivery vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula A. DeSutter</span> American government official

Paula Adamo DeSutter was United States Assistant Secretary of State for Verification, Compliance, and Implementation from 2002 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooke D. Anderson</span> American diplomat (born 1964)

Brooke D. Anderson is an American diplomat who served as a Deputy U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, as Chief of Staff and Counselor for the White House National Security Council, and as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary for Political Affairs on the Iran Nuclear Negotiations. She has served as a trusted advisor to U.S. presidents, Cabinet Secretaries, members of Congress, presidential candidates, philanthropists and business leaders.

Thomas Graham Jr. is a former senior U.S. diplomat. Graham was involved in the negotiation of every single international arms control and non-proliferation agreement from 1970 to 1997. This includes the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties, the Anti-ballistic missile (ABM) Treaty, Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) Treaty, Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT), Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty and Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). In 1993, Ambassador Graham served as acting director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) from January to November, 1993 and acting deputy director from November, 1993 to July, 1994. From 1994 through 1997, he was president Bill Clinton's special representative for Arms Control, Non-Proliferation, and Disarmament. Graham successfully led the U.S. government efforts to achieve the permanent extension of the NPT in 1995. Graham also served for 15 years as the general counsel of ACDA. Throughout his career, Thomas Graham has worked with six U.S. Presidents including Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Ambassador Graham worked on the negotiation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention and managed the Senate approval of the ratification of the Geneva Protocol banning the use of chemical and biological weapons in war, as well as the Biological Weapons Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall</span> American government official (born 1959)

Elizabeth D. Sherwood-Randall is an American national security and energy leader, public servant, educator, and author who served as the 11th United States Homeland Security Advisor in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025. She previously served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations and held appointments at academic institutions and think tanks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C.S. Eliot Kang</span> American diplomat (born 1962)

C.S. Eliot Kang is an American diplomat and member of the Senior Executive Service. He served as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) at the U.S. Department of State from March 2022 to January 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Holgate</span> American diplomat

Laura Susan Hayes Holgate is an American diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to the United Nations International Organizations in Vienna and to the International Atomic Energy Agency from 2022 to 2025 and previously from 2016 to 2017.

Janne E. Nolan was an American academic, foreign policy advisor, and expert on nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. She held senior positions in the Department of State, as a staffer for the Senate, and served on multiple blue ribbon commissions. She was well known for supporting generations of women in the traditionally male dominated field of nuclear security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam M. Scheinman</span> American government official

Adam M. Scheinman is an American government official. He served as Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation within the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation at the State Department from 2021 to 2025. He previously served in the same role from 2014 through 2017 under President Barack Obama. He also served as a professor of Practice and the Department of Energy Faculty Chair at the National War College.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.state.gov/biographies/bonnie-denise-jenkins/
  2. 1 2 Class of 2006 Finals Program (PDF). Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia. May 21, 2006. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Bonnie Denise Jenkins". United States Department of State. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Bonnie D. Jenkins Ph.D." Council of American Ambassadors. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins Joined the Elliott School as Shapiro Visiting Professor | GW Today | The George Washington University". GW Today. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  6. ↑ Vue, Katelyn. "Humphrey global policy fellow Dr. Bonnie Jenkins nominated to Biden administration", Minnesota Daily , February 1, 2021. Accessed May 11, 2022. "Every year during middle school, Dr. Bonnie Jenkins made sure she was on the honor roll.... 'I grew up … in the south Bronx, and I didn’t come from lots of money or anything, but I was very fortunate to get assistance from scholarships to go to different schools starting in high school,' Jenkins said."
  7. ↑ "Reporting for Duty". Amherst College. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Bonnie Denise Jenkins". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  9. ↑ "Lawyering from SCIPs to Think Tanks with Bonnie Jenkins". American Bar Association . Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Biography". US Department of State . Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  11. 1 2 Jenkins, Bonnie (2006). "Combating Nuclear Terrorism: Addressing Nonstate Actor Motivations". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 607: 33–42. doi:10.1177/0002716206290450. JSTOR   25097835. S2CID   145473954 . Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins Joined the Elliott School as Shapiro Visiting Professor | GW Today | The George Washington University". GW Today. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  13. ↑ Jenkins, Bonnie (27 March 2020). "Now is the time to revisit the Global Health Security Agenda". brookings.edu.
  14. ↑ "About the Founder and Former Executive Director". WCAPS. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "Agency Review Teams". President-Elect Joe Biden. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "PN242 — Bonnie D. Jenkins — Department of State 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Bonnie D. Jenkins, of New York, to be Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security)". US Senate. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  18. ↑ "Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  19. ↑ Bonnie Jenkins. "Bonnie Jenkins - LinkedIn". linkedin.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Celebrating the Newest Honorary Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc". Houston Style Magazine. March 24, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
Diplomatic posts
New office Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs
2009–2017		Vacant
Political offices
Preceded by Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs
2021–present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.