US State Department names its first chief diversity officer

Former ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley will oversee diversity and inclusion at the State Department.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday named former ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley as the State Department’s first chief diversity officer, a position created to make the US diplomatic corps more representative. Abercrombie-Winstanley, who served as US ambassador to Malta under President Barack Obama from 2012 to 2016, will report directly to Blinken, he said. “Diversity and inclusion make our diplomatic team stronger, smarter, more creative, more innovative,” Blinken said.