Nicole A. Avant (born March 6, 1968) is an American producer and political activist. She served as the
United States Ambassador
Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. ...
to
the Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
from 2009 to 2011.
Biography
Early career
Nicole Avant is the daughter of
Clarence Clarence may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division
* Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow
* Clarence River (New South Wales)
* Clarence Strait (Northern Territory)
* City of Clarence, a l ...
and Jacqueline Avant. Her father, known as "The Black Godfather", was chairman of
Motown Records
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...
. Nicole was born on her mother's 28th birthday.
During her childhood,
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
,
Tom Bradley,
Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...
, and
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...
were frequent visitors to the family's estate in Hollywood.
Nicole Avant graduated in 1986 from
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School (usually abbreviated as Beverly or as BHHS) is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. The other public high school in Beverly Hills, Moreno High School, is a small alternative school located on B ...
and in 1990 from
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...
with a B.A. in communications. She started her career working for the promotion division of
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
in Los Angeles. In 1988, she was named vice president of Interior Music Publishing, her father's music company.
In 2006, Avant helped launch the Culture Cabinet, and organized fundraising events for
Harold Ford Jr.
Harold Eugene Ford Jr. (born May 11, 1970) is an American financial managing director, pundit, author, and former U.S. Congressman who served from 1997–2007 in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party ...
in Tennessee before becoming the Southern California finance co-chairwoman for the
Barack Obama 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 ...
(along with
Charles Rivkin
Charles Hammerman Rivkin (born April 6, 1962) is an American media executive and former United States diplomat who is chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
Rivkin served as Assistant Secretary of Stat ...
), while her father was fundraising for
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
.
US Ambassador to the Bahamas
Avant was appointed
United States Ambassador to the Bahamas
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Bahamas, usually simply called U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, is an official position and title appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed ...
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 ...
on June 16, 2009. She was sworn in on October 22, 2009 and served until November 21, 2011.
At 41, she was the first black woman and the youngest US Ambassador to the Bahamas ever.
During her term, Avant was nominated for the State Department's Sue M. Cobb Award for exemplary diplomatic service.
During her tenure in the Bahamas, Avant worked with local advocacy groups for people with disabilities. She hosted
Eunice
Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek Εὐνίκη, ''Euníkē'', from "eu", good, and "níkē", victory. Eunice is also a relatively rare last name, found in Nigeria and the Southeastern United States, chiefly Louisiana and Georgia.
Pe ...
and
Francesca Shriver to raise awareness for Special Olympics-Bahamas. She also brought
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...
to the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce to advise on trade with the United States.
A
State Department inspector general's report on the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas praised the Ambassador and the embassy noting that the "large and diverse law enforcement community in Mission Bahamas works well together, under the Ambassador’s leadership, to counter threats to U.S. national security."
the report also noted that the Ambassador and the new deputy chief of mission, whom she had hired, were "emerging strongly from a
period of dysfunctional leadership and management."
The inspector general reported Avant was frequently away from the embassy often traveling to and from her home 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' ...
. When she was in the Bahamas, she often worked from her office at the residence rather than working at the embassy. Avant "was absent from
erpost for 276 days during a 670-day period from November 19, 2009, to September 19, 2011—an average of 12 days per month. The 276 days include ... 102 personal leave days.
healso traveled to the United States for 77 work days on what she identified as business, with 23 days on what appear to have been official travel orders." The report found she "had not had frequent policy-level interaction with the
tate
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
Department or other Washington agencies ... She relied unduly on her
eputy chief of missionto attend to day-to-day contacts with the
tate
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
Department."
The inspector general report offered praise for the service levels from the consular section, noted an "invigorated" public affairs section and reported that "she (Avant) and her staff have improved the embassy’s reputation among Bahamians. This, in turn, has fostered a close bilateral environment that is conducive to
excellent law enforcement cooperation."
In response, Avant said that she had inherited a dysfunctional embassy, and the new executive team she appointed had improved things.
Avant resigned in November 2011 and informally worked on Barack Obama's 2012 re-election efforts, including fundraising.
Post-politics activities
In 2019, Avant produced the documentary ''
The Black Godfather
''The Black Godfather'' is a 1974 American blaxploitation film written and directed by John Evans and starring Rod Perry, Don Chastain, Diane Sommerfield and Jimmy Witherspoon. The plot is about J.J. (Rod Perry), a rising star in the black cri ...
'', centering on her father Clarence.
Her husband,
Ted Sarandos
Theodore Anthony Sarandos Jr. is an American businessman who serves as the co-chief executive officer and chief content officer for Netflix.
Early life
Sarandos was born in Phoenix, Arizona. His father was Ted Sarandos Sr, an electrician, and ...
, is the co-chief executive officer of
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, who distributed the film.
In January 2021, Avant was an early investor in
Thirteen Lune
Thirteen Lune is an e-commerce beauty website launched in 2020 and based in West Hollywood, California, West Hollywood.
History
Thirteen Lune was co-founded by Nyakio Grieco, a Los Angeles-based beauty entrepreneur, and Patrick Herning, the CEO ...
, an e-commerce site focused on makeup, skincare, haircare and wellness products owned by people of color and ally brands.
Awards
* 2012 : 20th Annual Trumpet Awards's International Award
Personal life
Avant is married to
Ted Sarandos
Theodore Anthony Sarandos Jr. is an American businessman who serves as the co-chief executive officer and chief content officer for Netflix.
Early life
Sarandos was born in Phoenix, Arizona. His father was Ted Sarandos Sr, an electrician, and ...
, the co-CEO of
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
.
In 2010, the couple purchased a Hollywood residence for $5.4 million from
Max Azria
Max Azria (January 1, 1949 – May 6, 2019) was a Tunisian-Jewish-born American fashion designer who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBG MAX AZRIA. Azria was also the designer, chairman and CEO of the BCBG Max Azria Group,Musta ...
, and sold it in 2017 for $8.825 million. In 2010, the couple also purchased a beachfront house in Malibu from
David Spade
David Wayne Spade (born July 22, 1964) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, television host, and writer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' in the 1990s, and he later began an acting career in both film and television. He also s ...
for $10.2 million.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avant, Nicole
Living people
American philanthropists
1968 births
American music industry executives
Ambassadors of the United States to the Bahamas
California State University, Northridge alumni
Place of birth missing (living people)
African-American diplomats
American women ambassadors
21st-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women