Biography

Photo of John A. Simon
John A. Simon
Ambassador
African Union
Term of Appointment: 09/09/2008 to present

Ambassador John A. Simon was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate in July 2008 to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the African Union. He was sworn in as Ambassador September 9 and arrived in Addis Ababa on September 15 to assume his post. 

From April 2006 until September 2008 Ambassador Simon served as Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Ambassador Simon led the agency’s initiatives in areas such as housing, combating corruption, outreach to the philanthropic investment community, and support for private sector growth in post-conflict countries, such as Liberia. 

Prior to his OPIC appointment, Mr. Simon served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Relief, Stabilization, and Development for the National Security Council (NSC) at the White House, the first to hold this post. From 2003 to 2005, he served as Director of Development Issues at the NSC. During his tenure at the NSC, Mr. Simon oversaw the implementation of President Bush's groundbreaking development initiatives, including the Millennium Challenge Account, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, and the President's Malaria Initiative. He was also responsible for the U.S. government response to international humanitarian disasters, such as the 2005 South Asia Earthquake. 

From 2002 to 2003, Ambassador Simon was Deputy Assistant Administrator at the United States Agency for International Development, overseeing the agency’s development information and evaluation units. Earlier in his career, he served as Director of Business Finance and Strategic Planning at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Executive Office for Administration and Finance in several capacities, including Deputy Director for Research and Development. 

Ambassador Simon received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University.