The Director General of the Foreign Service is the designated manager of the United States Foreign Service. The Director General is a current or former

Foreign Service Officer A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U ...

, appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. Since November 23, 1975, under a Departmental administrative action, the Director General has concurrently held the title of Director of the Bureau of Global Talent Management. As the head of the human resources bureau, the Director General holds a rank equivalent to an Assistant Secretary of State and reports to the

Under Secretary of State for Management The Under Secretary of State for Management is a position within the United States Department of State that serves as principal adviser to the Secretary of State and Deputy Secretary of State on matters relating to the allocation and use of Depar ...

. The current Director General is

Marcia Bernicat Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat (born 1953) is an American diplomat who is the current Director General of the Foreign Service. She is a former United States Ambassador to Bangladesh. She served as Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau from 2008 ...

History

Congress created the position of Director General of the Foreign Service through the Foreign Service Act of 1946. Between 1946 and 1980, the Secretary of State designated the Director General. The Foreign Service Act of 1980 made the position a

Presidential appointee The Appointments Clause of Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, of the United States Constitution empowers the President of the United States to nominate and, with the advice and consent (confirmation) of the United States Senate, appoint public of ...

. After 1986, the Director General became responsible for all personnel aspects of the Foreign Service and the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

at the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

, including advertising, examination, appointment, job assignments worldwide, disciplinary actions, and promotions to the Senior Foreign Service.

List of directors general of the Foreign Service

References

{{Assistant Secretaries of State 1946 establishments in Washington, D.C. Civil service in the United States