Jeffrey A. Bader

Jeffrey Allen Bader (July 1, 1945 – October 22, 2023) was an American diplomat who was senior director for East Asian affairs on the National Security Council in the Obama administration, with The New York Times calling him "one of the country's leading experts on China". He also served as the United States ambassador to Namibia from 1999 to 2001.

Early life and education Bader was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1945.

Career Bader first assignment with the United States Foreign Service was in Zaire. However, in 1977, he was chosen by Richard Holbrooke to join a team of up-and-coming diplomats tasked with building U.S. relations with the People's Republic of China. From 2009 to 2011, he was senior director for East Asian affairs on the National Security Council during the Obama Administration. At the time of his death, the couple lived in Venice, Los Angeles.