Biography

Photo of Janice L. Jacobs
Janice L. Jacobs
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Term of Appointment: 06/10/2008 to present

Ambassador Janice L. Jacobs was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs on June 10, 2008. Prior to assuming this position, she served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Consular Affairs and before that as U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.  

Ambassador Jacobs is a Senior Foreign Service Officer with 28 years of experience in Africa, Latin America and Europe. She has advanced foreign policy interests across a broad range of issues including democratization and human rights, trade and investment liberalization, counter-terrorism and immigration. She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services from 2002-2005 and as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo from 2000-2002. Her career includes a mix of Washington, DC and overseas assignments, including working in the State Department’s Visa Office, Operations Center, and Office of Cuban Affairs.

Ambassador Jacobs joined the Foreign Service in March 1980 after many years of overseas experience as a Foreign Service dependent. She has lived in Senegal, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia (twice), France, Mexico (twice), Nigeria, and Thailand. She received a BA in French and Education from Southern Illinois University in 1968 and a Master’s in National Security Strategy from the National War College in 1995.