Lockard , Joann M. – Burkina Faso – July 2023

UNITED STATES SENATE

SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of
Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service
Act, Section 304(a)(4)

POST: Burkina Faso

CANDIDATE:Joann M. Lockard

Joann Lockard, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Counselor, most recently served as the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Prior to that, Ms. Lockard served as Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic, and the U.S. Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands. Ms. Lockard also had assignments as the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassies in Kampala, Uganda and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Ms. Lockard’s demonstrated success as a leader in Abidjan, her knowledge of Africa, and Burkina Faso in particular, and her experience as career diplomat that spans more than two decades, make her well-qualified to serve as Ambassador to Burkina Faso.

Earlier, Ms. Lockard served in a variety of roles gaining further experience across a range of geographic regions. She was the Nordic – Baltic Public Diplomacy Desk Officer for the State Department in Washington, D.C.; she served as Vice Consul and Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador, El Salvador; and she also worked as a Vice Consul and Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Ms. Lockard earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in international affairs from George Washington University, Washington D.C., and her Master of Science degree in national security strategy from the National War College, in Washington D.C. Her foreign languages include French, Czech, Dutch, Spanish, and Russian. She is the recipient of numerous performance awards from the Department of State along with various other honors including recognition by the Public Diplomacy Association of America for Excellence in Public Diplomacy.