David H. Shinn (born June 9, 1940) is an American diplomat and professor. He is an Adjunct Professor of International Affairs at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. His diverse career in the foreign service of the United States has included ambassadorships to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

. Shinn is also a frequent commentator in the news media on political issues, and has provided consultancy to the U.S. government on

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

related matters as well as

Sino-African relations Sino-African relations or Afro-Chinese relations are the historical, political, economic, military, social, and cultural connection between mainland China and the African continent. Little is known about ancient relations between China and ...

Education

Shinn received his B.A. (1962), M.A. (1963), and Ph.D. (1980) from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

. He also received a certificate in African Studies from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and was diplomat-in-residence at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

and

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Government Service

Shinn served for 37 years in the

United States Foreign Service The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carryi ...

with assignments at embassies in Lebanon, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritania, Cameroon, Sudan, and as ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

Philanthropy

Shinn is active in several non-governmental organizations focused on the Horn of Africa and the African Great Lakes region. He serves on the board of directors for

Adeso Adeso (previously Horn Relief) is Nairobi-based humanitarian non-governmental organization. The organisation was founded by Fatima Jibrell in 1991, who handed leadership over to her daughter Degal Ali in 2006. The organisation is noted for it ...

, an NGO founded by the Somali environmentalist Fatima Jibrell. It conducts programs in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

. Additionally, Shinn is on the board of directors of the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation.

Awards

*1995 – International Alumnus of the Year by Phi Theta Kappa, the community college scholastic honor society *1994 – National Alumnus of the Year, American Association of Community Colleges

Notes

External links

David Shinn bio
provided by George Washington University
David Shinn blogProfile of David Shinn
in

GW Today , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

* 1940 births Living people Ambassadors of the United States to Ethiopia Ambassadors of the United States to Burkina Faso People from Yakima, Washington George Washington University alumni George Washington University faculty United States Department of State officials United States Foreign Service personnel {{US-diplomat-stub