Deborah A. McCarthy

Ambassador (ret) Deborah A. McCarthy is an expert on U.S. foreign and national security policy with over 30 years of diplomatic experience.  Currently, she is a Fellow at Harvard University in the Advanced Leadership Initiative.  She is the host/producer of the National Security Podcast series  “The General and the Ambassador: A Conversation”.

Most recently, Ms. McCarthy was a visiting Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.  Previously, she was the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania (2013-2016).  She also served as the Deputy Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Greece and the U.S.  Embassy in Nicaragua.  In Washington, she was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Narcotics and Law Enforcement, Senior Advisor for Counter Terrorism and Special Coordinator for Venezuela. Other diplomatic postings include:  Consul General Montreal, Economic Counselor U.S. Embassy Paris, Financial Economist U.S. Embassy Rome and assignments in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Ms. McCarthy received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia and a joint Masters in Economics and Foreign Service from Georgetown University.  She is active on social media on U.S. foreign policy (Twitter: @Amb_DMcCarthy) and is a regular public speaker. She is a member of the Atlantic Council and American College of National Security Leaders.  She serves on the Board of the Academy of Diplomacy , the Command and General Staff College Foundation as well as on the Advisory Council for the Master’s program in Foreign Service at Georgetown University.