Deborah Elizabeth Vavasseur Barnes (born 6 October 1956), known since her marriage as Deborah Barnes-Jones, is a British diplomat and administrator.

Career

Barnes joined the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...

in 1980. She was posted to the British Embassy in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

between 1983 and 1985, when she was promoted to First Secretary and was seconded to the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...

, remaining there until 1986. From 1988 to 1992 she was posted as First Secretary (Chancery) to the embassy in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, then returned to the Foreign Office in London for four years. She was Deputy Head of Mission in Uruguay from 1996 to 2001, when she was appointed as the British ambassador to the

Republic of Georgia A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

.'BARNES JONES, Deborah Elizabeth Vavasseur, born 6 Oct. 1956; née Barnes' in '' Who's Who 2012'' (London: A. & C. Black, 2012)''The Diplomatic Service List 2004'' (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2004), p. 155 In 2004 Barnes-Jones was appointed as the

Governor of Montserrat The Governor of Montserrat is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of Montserrat. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The main role of the Governor ...

and was sworn in at a special session of the island's Legislative Council held in Brades on 10 May 2004, becoming the first female governor appointed by a reigning British monarch to a

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

. She remained in post until 6 July 2007.PEOPLE In Anguilla: Montserrat's Governor Says Exciting Times Ahead
''The Anguillian News'', 17 February 2006. In 1986, she married Fredrick Richard Jones, an American diplomat, and they have twin daughters (Jennifer and Hilary), born in 1991.

References

1956 births Living people Governors of Montserrat British women ambassadors Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Georgia (country) {{UK-diplomat-stub