# Director General of the Foreign Service

The Director General of the Foreign Service is the designated manager of the United States Foreign Service.
The Director General is a current or former Foreign Service Officer, appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. Since November 23, 1975, under a Departmental administrative action, the Director General has concurrently held the title of Director of the Bureau of Global Talent Management. As the head of the human resources bureau, the Director General holds a rank equivalent to an Assistant Secretary of State and reports to the Under Secretary of State for Management.

## History

Congress created the position of Director General of the Foreign Service through the Foreign Service Act of 1946. Between 1946 and 1980, the Secretary of State designated the Director General.
The Foreign Service Act of 1980 made the position a Presidential appointee.
After 1986, the Director General became responsible for all personnel aspects of the Foreign Service and the Civil Service at the State Department, including advertising, examination, appointment, job assignments worldwide, disciplinary actions, and promotions to the Senior Foreign Service.

## List of directors general of the Foreign Service

| # | Director General | Tenure | President |
| 1 | Selden Chapin | November 13, 1946 – April 30, 1947 | Harry S. Truman |
| 2 | Christian M. Ravndal | May 1, 1947 – June 23, 1949 | Harry S. Truman |
| 3 | Richard Porter Butrick | September 7, 1949 – April 1, 1952 | Harry S. Truman |
| 4 | Gerald Augustin Drew | March 30, 1952 – October 18, 1954 | Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 5 | Raymond A. Hare | October 19, 1954 – August 29, 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 6 | Joseph Charles Satterthwaite | May 6, 1957 – September 1, 1958 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 7 | Waldemar John Gallman | November 17, 1958 – January 31, 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 8 | Tyler Thompson | May 14, 1961 – February 15, 1964 | John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 9 | Joseph Palmer II | February 16, 1964 – April 10, 1966 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 10 | John Milton Steeves | August 1, 1966 – July 31, 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 11 | John Howard Burns | August 1, 1969 – June 15, 1971 | Richard Nixon |
| 12 | William O. Hall | July 5, 1971 – September 30, 1973 | Richard Nixon |
| 13 | Nathaniel Davis | November 13, 1973 – March 17, 1975 | Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford |
| 14 | Carol Laise | April 11, 1975 – December 26, 1977 | Gerald Ford |
| 15 | Harry G. Barnes, Jr. | December 22, 1977 – February 8, 1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| 16 | Joan Margaret Clark | July 27, 1981 – October 24, 1983 | Ronald Reagan |
| 17 | Alfred Atherton | December 2, 1983 – December 28, 1984 | Ronald Reagan |
| 18 | George Southall Vest | June 8, 1985 – May 3, 1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| 19 | Edward Joseph Perkins | September 22, 1989 – May 7, 1992 | George H. W. Bush |
| 20 | Genta Hawkins Holmes | September 7, 1992 – August 18, 1995 | George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton |
| 21 | Anthony Cecil Eden Quainton | December 29, 1995 – August 22, 1997 | Bill Clinton |
| 22 | Edward William Gnehm | August 25, 1997 – June 14, 2000 | Bill Clinton |
| 23 | Marc Isaiah Grossman | June 19, 2000 – March 26, 2001 | Bill Clinton |
| 24 | Ruth A. Davis | June 15, 2001 – June 30, 2003 | George W. Bush |
| 25 | W. Robert Pearson | October 7, 2003 – February 27, 2006 | George W. Bush |
| 26 | George McDade Staples | May 25, 2006 – June 27, 2007 | George W. Bush |
| 27 | Harry K. Thomas, Jr. | September 21, 2007 – June 24, 2009 | George W. Bush, Barack Obama |
| 28 | Nancy Jo Powell | August 3, 2009 – January 6, 2012 | Barack Obama |
| 29 | Linda Thomas-Greenfield | April 2, 2012 – August 2, 2013 | Barack Obama |
| 30 | Arnold A. Chacón | December 22, 2014 – June 2, 2017 | Barack Obama, Donald Trump |
| - | William E. Todd (Acting) | June 12, 2017 - February 1, 2019 | Donald Trump |
| 31 | Carol Z. Perez | February 1, 2019 – June 6, 2022 | Donald Trump, Joe Biden |
| 32 | Marcia Bernicat | June 6, 2022 - January 20, 2025 | Joe Biden |
| - | Catherine Rodriguez (Acting) | January 20, 2025 - Present | Donald Trump |