Three and a half months after President Barack Obama nominated her, Betty E. King (left) was confirmed as Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, with the rank of Ambassador.In the last 2 administrations, King served as the United States' Representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, where she focused on issues relating to human rights, children, development, aging, and population. (photo credit) Additionally, she was the principal U.S. negotiator during development of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.
Born in the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent, King holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and a master's from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and also was a National Humanities Fellow at Harvard. Her philanthropic background includes prior leadership service at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the California Endowment, and the Atlantic Philanthropies. She's also been: Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health, Washington, D.C.; Executive Director, Southwest Society on Aging; Director, Arkansas Department on Aging; and Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas. Her current board service includes Refugees International, the United Nations Association of the United States, Phoenix House, and the Annenberg School of Public Diplomacy.
