Marguerita Dianne Ragsdale
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Marguerita Dianne Ragsdale (born 1948) is a Career Foreign Service Officer who served as the American Ambassador to
Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
from February 1, 2004 until July 6, 2006.


Biography

Born in
Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...
but raised on a farm in
Dinwiddie County, Virginia Dinwiddie County is a county (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 27,947. Its county seat is Dinwiddie, Virginia, Dinwidd ...
, (
McKenney, Virginia McKenney is an incorporated town in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, United States. The population was 483 at the 2010 census. History McKenney is located along a former railroad mainline. The Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad, passing throug ...
) Ragsdale has a B.A. degree from
American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
in Washington, D.C., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
, and a J.D. degree from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.


Career

Considered a Middle East specialist, Ragsdale’s first assignment was as the Junior Consular and General Services Officer at the American Embassy in
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
in 1984. Two years later, she served as Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in
Mogadishu, Somalia Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
. Djibouti has strategic and political importance for the United States because of its location on the
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), ...
overlooking the
Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...
.
Camp Lemonnier Camp Lemonnier is a United States Naval Expeditionary Base, situated next to Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti City, and home to the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM ...
, the only U.S. military base on the African continent, is there. While Ambassador, the US donated several refurbished Coast Guard vessels as part of an effort to bolster Djibouti’s navy. Work began on the Defense Fuel Supply Point (DFSP) at the Port of Doraleh while Ragsdale was Ambassador. She oversaw $27 million in direct aid for educational and healthcare assistance.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ragsdale, Marguerita 1948 births Living people Ambassadors of the United States to Djibouti American University alumni University of Virginia alumni Columbia Law School alumni People from Dinwiddie County, Virginia United States Foreign Service personnel American women ambassadors 21st-century American diplomats 21st-century American women