FSI Deputy Director Shelby Smith-Wilson is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service who most recently served as the Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary Brian P. McKeon. Prior to that assignment she was the Deputy Director of the Operations Center.
Her overseas tours include Counselor for Political Affairs at U.S. Embassy Madrid; Counselor for Political Affairs at U.S. Embassy Panama; Deputy Political Counselor at U.S. Embassy Bogotá; and assignments in Santo Domingo and Nairobi. In Washington, she has served as Senior Watch Officer, Bolivia Desk Officer, Career Development Officer, and Watch Officer.
Ms. Smith-Wilson joined the Foreign Service in 1999 after interning at U.S. Embassy Caracas as a Thomas Pickering Fellow. She holds an M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College, an M.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University, and an A.B. in Political Science and Spanish from Duke University. In 2020, she was named a Fellow by the International Women’s Forum. She is the recipient of the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award and several Superior Honor Awards.