AMBASSADOR Frankie A. Reed presented her credentials to the President of Fiji, H.E. Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, earlier today (13 Oct), following her arrival in Fiji to be the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Fiji. Ambassador Reed will serve concurrently as Ambassador to the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Tuvalu.

Nominated by President Barack Obama, Ambassador Reed is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. She recently served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, responsible for relations with Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island posts (Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu).

Building on her experience in the Pacific, Ambassador Reed will focus on strengthening relations between the United States and Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
"These countries occupy a strategically important portion of the Pacific and are partners in addressing critical global and regional issues," said Ambassador Reed. "Many of the island nations face the same global issues that other countries face, but in this particular region, the repercussions can be more acute."

Ambassador Reed emphasized that she will do her best to promote excellent relations between the United States and each of these five countries stating that "working together we can achieve our common goals for a more peaceful and prosperous Pacific region."

Previously, Ambassador Reed served as Diplomat in Residence at the University of California, Berkeley, where she lectured and also had responsibility for outreach programs for universities in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to her assignment to the University of California, Ambassador Reed was the Consul General and Deputy U.S. Observer to the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France (2005-2008). She has also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Conakry Guinea (2003-2005), and Deputy Chief of Mission in Apia, Samoa (1999-2002).
Ambassador Reed's earlier assignments also include being the Political Section Chief in Dakar, Senegal, Political Officer in Nairobi, Kenya and Yaounde, Cameroon. She also worked as a Desk Officer in the Bureaus of African Affairs and Western Hemispheric Affairs.

Ambassador Reed is a member of the California Bar Association. She has a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Howard University. She has studied at the Kogod School of Business, American University. Prior to joining the Department of State, Ambassador Reed practiced law, worked in print journalism and spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer. Ambassador Reed is from Baltimore, Maryland. U.S. Embassy spokesman, 13/10/11.