Ambassador Michelle D. Gavin

Ambassador Michelle D. Gavin

Ambassador Michelle Gavin has been serving as the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana since June 2011.  Prior to her confirmation by the Senate on April 14, 2011, Ambassador Gavin served as Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director for Africa on the National Security Staff.  Before joining the Obama Administration, Ambassador Gavin was an Adjunct Fellow for Africa, and an International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Ambassador Gavin has also served as legislative director to U.S. Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), spent six years serving as the primary foreign policy adviser to Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), and has served as the staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on African Affairs.

Ambassador Gavin earned a Masters of Philosophy in International Relations from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar; and a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

Ambassador Gavin is married to David Bonfili and they are the proud parents of their daughter Clara.