Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Cindy McCain’s replacement for the position of U.S. ambassador to the Rome-based United Nations agencies. U.N. watchers will recognize the name, but those of you in the food security space may not be as familiar: Jeffrey Prescott.
He currently serves as deputy to the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, based in Washington out of the State Department. He’s got a deep résumé in both the Biden and Obama administrations, serving as then-Vice President Joe Biden’s deputy national security adviser and senior adviser on China and Asia. He also served on the National Security Council as Obama’s special assistant and senior director for Iran, Iraq, Syria, and the Gulf states.
Longtime Obama and Biden-world insider Mark Feierstein tells me Prescott is widely liked within the administration and is “one of the sharpest guys in government.” He’s close to Biden so will have a direct line to the president while in Rome, Feierstein says, and he’s also close to Secretary of State Antony Blinken from their Obama administration days when they were deputies at the same time.
About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
