Ambassador (ret.) Reuben E. Brigety, II is President of Busara Advisors. From 2022- 2025, he served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, the Continent’s largest and most developed economy. He also served as U.S. Representative to the African Union and U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN
Economic Commission for Africa from 2013-2015. From 2011-2013, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, with responsibility for Southern Africa and Regional Security Affairs. Ambassador (ret.) Brigety served as Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA) -America’s largest school of international affairs - at The George Washington University from 2015-2020. While serving as Dean, he founded ESIA’s Institute for African Studies. From 2015-2022, Ambassador (ret.) Brigety served on the Board of Counselors of McLarty Associates, one of the world’s leading strategic advisory firms, where he focused on African commercial issues.

Ambassador (ret.) Brigety is a Distinguished Midshipman Graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a B.S. in political science (with merit) and served as the Brigade Commander. He holds an M.Phil. and a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Cambridge (cantab) and a Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) from Old Dominion University. He is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a recipient of the Council’s International Affairs Fellowship, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Diplomacy.