Elizabeth Marie Allen is an American political advisor who serves as
acting under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. On January 23, 2023, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Allen for the permanent role of under secretary.
Allen previously served as
assistant secretary of state for global public affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Global Public Affairs within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs reports to the Secretary of Stat ...
and as
White House deputy communications director during the
Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
.
Early life and education
Allen is a native of
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
. She graduated from
Williamsville South High School in
Williamsville, New York in 2002. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science and sociology from the
State University of New York at Geneseo, where she graduated magna cum laude and phi beta kappa.
Career
As an undergraduate, Allen served as an intern at the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
, where she specialized in human trafficking and international women's issues.
After graduating from college, Allen served as the associate director of operations for the
2008 Democratic National Convention
The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for president and vice president. The conventi ...
. She later joined
Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign
The 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama began on February 10, 2007, when Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for President of the United States in Springfield, Illinois. After winning a ma ...
and worked on the
2009 Inauguration. From 2009 until 2013, Allen was a member of the communications team for Vice President Joseph Biden, and was promoted to serve as deputy director of communications. From 2014 to 2015, she served as the director of public affairs and strategic communication for the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. It is responsible for the Un ...
.
From 2015 to 2017, Allen served as the
White House deputy communications director. While working for Obama, she planned several "first time" presidential events, such as Obama's visit to the Arctic Circle and his meeting with federal inmates in Oklahoma.
After the end of the
Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
, Allen joined
The Glover Park Group
The Glover Park Group is an American communications consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. The company was founded in 2001 by former White House and Democratic campaign officials Carter Eskew, Michael Feldman, Joe Lockhart and Chip ...
, a communications consulting firm (now called Finsbury Glover Hering), as senior vice president, .
In August 2020, Allen took a leave of absence from Glover Park Group to serve as communications director to
Kamala Harris after she was announced as
Joe Biden's running mate in the
2020 United States presidential election
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...
.
Allen left as a partner at Finsbury Glover Hering (FGH) when President Biden appointed her as
assistant secretary of state for global public affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Global Public Affairs within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs reports to the Secretary of Stat ...
on August 25, 2021. She was sworn in on September 13, 2021. Allen has been a central figure in U.S. government's efforts to both combat disinformation surrounding the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
and increase support for the Ukrainian people and their government in their war with the Russians.
On April 4, 2022, secretary of state
Antony Blinken delegated to her the functions and authorities of the
.
References
External links
Official biography U.S. Department of State
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Elizabeth M.
Biden administration personnel
Living people
Obama administration personnel
People from Buffalo, New York
People from Williamsville, New York
State University of New York at Geneseo alumni
United States Assistant Secretaries of State
Year of birth missing (living people)