Denise Campbell Bauer (born January 30, 1964) is an American diplomat serving as the

United States ambassador to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations we ...

and

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. Bauer served as Ambassador of the United States to Belgium from 2013 to 2017. After being nominated by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, she was confirmed unanimously by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

on August 2, 2013; she was sworn in the following August 7. She left office on January 20, 2017. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, she was the executive director of Women for Biden.

Education

Bauer graduated from

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...

in 1986 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, with an emphasis in foreign affairs and national security.

Career

She began her career in television news in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where she worked as a field producer and researcher for

KCBS-TV KCBS-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent outl ...

News from 1985 to 1988, as a news producer for the North American bureau of

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

Australia from 1988 to 1990, and as a freelance film and video producer from 1990 to 1992. From 1993 until 1994 she worked as a public affairs officer for the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

Bay Area in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. Bauer has been active in public service and community engagement for the past 25 years and, among other positions, served as president of the board of directors of the Belvedere Community Foundation, located in

Belvedere, California Belvedere is a residential incorporated city located on the San Francisco Bay in Marin County, California, United States. Consisting of two islands and a lagoon, it is connected to the Tiburon Peninsula by two causeways. At the 2020 census, th ...

. A longtime Democrat, Bauer hosted multiple fundraisers and reportedly raised $4.3 million for President Obama’s two election campaigns, served on the Obama for America National Finance Committee from 2007 to 2008 and from 2011 to 2012, and was finance chair for Women for Obama from 2011 to 2012. She was also on the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

from 2008 to 2012, serving as chair and co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Forum and as co-chair of the National Issues Conference. She has also personally contributed nearly $20,000 to Democratic candidates and organizations.

Ambassador to Belgium

On June 21, 2013, Bauer was nominated to be the next US ambassador to Belgium by President

. Hearings on her nomination were held before the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid p ...

on July 25, 2013. The committee reported her favorably on July 30, 2013. On August 2, 2013, the Senate confirmed her by voice vote. Bauer served from 2013 to 2017.

Ambassador to France and Monaco

Secretary Blinken Arrives in Paris (52077331606)

In June 2021, it was reported that President Joe Biden would nominate Bauer to serve as the

and

. On July 9, 2021, President Biden nominated Bauer to serve as the United States Ambassador to France. On September 15, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the

. On October 19, 2021, her nomination was reported favorably out of committee. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

confirmed her on December 18, 2021, by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

. She was sworn in on December 23, 2021. She presented her credentials on February 5, 2022.

Personal life

Bauer speaks French.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauer, Denise 1963 births Living people 21st-century American diplomats 21st-century American women Ambassadors of the United States to Belgium Ambassadors of the United States to France Ambassadors of the United States to Monaco American women ambassadors American women television producers California Democrats Occidental College alumni Television producers from California