Obama appoints Vincentian woman to diplomatic post
by Nelson A. King, The Vincentian
United States President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate a Vincentian to a top diplomatic post in Geneva, Switzerland.
Obama said Betty E. King, who served as the United States Representative to the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, will be the US Representative to the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva. The position carries the rank of ambassador, he said.
The president also nominated Native American Indian, Lillian Sparks, for commissioner in the Administration for Native Americans, Department of Health and Human Services.
“I am grateful that these two talented and dedicated individuals have chosen to serve my administration and the American people,” said Obama in a White House statement.
“And, I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead,” he added.
Political observers say the nominees will need the approval of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee – a process that can take two to three months.
The White House said King has a wealth of experience in government and working with and for non-profit organizations.
At ECOSOC, King worked on human rights, children, development, aging and population issues.
She was the principal US negotiator on the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.
The White House said King has “an extensive background” in philanthropy, having served as vice president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland, the senior advisor to the CEO of the California Endowment in Los Angeles, and an advisor to the Atlantic Philanthropies in New York.
She was the deputy commissioner of Mental Health in Washington, executive director of the Southwest Society on Aging, the director of the Arkansas Department on Aging and an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas.
The White House said she currently serves on the boards of Refugees International, the United Nations Association of the United States, Phoenix House, and on the Advisory Board of the Annenberg School of Public Diplomacy.
King earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, a Master’s degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and was a National Humanities Fellow at Harvard University.
She is the sister of prominent local businessmen Ken and Keith Boyea.