Ambassador Deborah R. Malac

Ambassador (retired) Deborah Malac is a career diplomat who served 39 years as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.  Most recently, she served as the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda (2016-2020) and the U.S. Ambassador to Liberia (2012-2015).  Ambassador Malac also served overseas in Ethiopia, Senegal, Thailand, South Africa, and Cameroon, as well as multiple assignments in the Department of State in Washington, DC, including assignments in the Bureau of African Affairs, the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.  The primary focus of her work was fostering democracy, improving human rights, encouraging trade and investment, and supporting meaningful economic development in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Throughout her career, Ambassador Malac worked with USAID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Peace Corps and other U.S. government agencies and entities to build resilient health systems, broaden access to education, improve food security and create economic opportunity, especially for women and girls.  Ambassador Malac retired from the Department of State in January 2020.  She currently serves as Chair of the Board for the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Foundation supporting women’s leadership across Africa, and as a Board member for Nyaka Global which supports vulnerable children and communities in southwestern Uganda.