Jessica Lapenn

Ms. Lapenn, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as the Chargé d’Affaires, United States Embassy Pretoria, South Africa, a position she has held since 2016. Previously, Ms. Lapenn was the Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Human Rights, and Democracy in the State Department. Ms. Lapenn was the Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy Kigali, Rwanda, and led the Office for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs in the Bureau of International Organizations in Washington, D.C. Earlier in her career, Ms. Lapenn served as the Political Advisor to the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Ms. Lapenn earned a B.A. from Harvard College and an M.Phil from Cambridge University.