REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service Act, Section 304(a)(4)
POST: Republic of Sierra Leone
CANDIDATE: Maria E. Brewer
Maria E. Brewer, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is currently the Deputy Director, Career Development and Assignments, Bureau of Human Resources, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C., a position she has held since 2016. A specialist in management, she has been especially praised by her teams for her leadership skills, including as a mentor for recently hired officers. Ms. Brewer has consistently developed very useful relations with high-level foreign government contacts in support of U.S. national interests, including mitigating extremism. She guided high-threat posts in Nigeria and Pakistan through, for example, the Ebola crisis, the aftermath of the Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction by Boko Haram and the threat of Al-Qaeda. These critical skills, in addition to her extensive knowledge of the West African region (including Sierra Leone), her ability to lead interagency teams and her broad Washington experience make her an excellent candidate for U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone.
Ms. Brewer served overseas as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé, U.S. Embassy Abuja, Nigeria (2013-2016), Management Officer, U.S. Embassy Islamabad, Pakistan (2008-2009), Management Officer, U.S. Embassy Colombo, Sri Lanka (2006-2008) and Management Officer, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai, India (2001-2004). She also served previously at U.S. Embassies in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Lagos, Nigeria. At the State Department in Washington, D.C., Ms. Brewer served as Deputy Executive Director (2011-2013) and Supervisory Post Management Officer (2010-2011) in the Bureau of African Affairs, Special Assistant, Under Secretary for Management (2006), Special Assistant, Assistant Secretary for Administration (2005-2006) and Management Officer, Bureau of Administration (2004-2005).
Ms. Brewer earned a M.S. from the National Defense University Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Washington, DC and a B.A. from Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana. She is the recipient of a dozen notable senior State Department awards, including the Distinguished Honor Award. She speaks Spanish.