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 Malawi
CANDIDATE: Robert Kenneth Scott
Robert Kenneth Scott, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Counselor, is currently Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs at the Department of State, a position he has held since 2016. A 23-year Foreign Service veteran and a two-time Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Scott is known for his expertise in Africa and Europe, broad leadership and policy coordination experience, multiple domestic tours across State Department bureaus and language skills (fluent German along with Ukrainian and French). These skills and experience, in addition to his background in democratization issues and economic development, make him an excellent candidate for U.S. Ambassador to Malawi.
Previously with the Department of State, Mr. Scott served as Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Harare, Zimbabwe (2013 – 2016), Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2010 – 2013), Deputy Office Director, Office of West African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs (2009 – 2010), Deputy Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy Kyiv, Ukraine (2007 – 2009), and Deputy Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate Hamburg, Germany (2003 – 2006). He also served as Desk Officer, Office of Global Change, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science (2001 – 2003), Desk Officer, Office of Regional and Political-Military Affairs, Bureau of European Affairs (1999 – 2001), Consular Officer, U.S. Embassy Paris, France (1997 – 1999) and Political/ Consular Officer, U.S. Embassy Accra, Ghana (1995 – 1997). Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Mr. Scott was an Industry Analyst, U.S. Department of Commerce (1988 – 1994) and a Partner, Treasury of Nations (a retail jewelry store), in Bethesda, Maryland (1987 – 1988).
Mr. Scott earned a B.A. from Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin and a M.A. from American University, Washington, D.C. He also studied at Goettingen University in Germany on a U.S. Fulbright Grant. He is the recipient of 15 senior Department of State awards.