Reuben Brigety

Reuben Earl Brigety II (born September 7, 1973) is an American diplomat and academic who served as the United States ambassador to South Africa. He was the vice-chancellor and president of the University of the South, in Sewanee, Tennessee, from 2020 to 2021. Previously, Brigety served as dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Prior to that, Brigety served as United States ambassador to the African Union, as a deputy assistant secretary of state, and as permanent representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

Early life and education Brigety speaking at the Washington Foreign Press Center, 2010. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Brigety is the son of Reuben Brigety, a physician, and Barbara Brigety, an educator and school administrator. He graduated from Sandalwood High School as the salutatorian. He applied to the United States Naval Academy and was appointed there as part of the Class of 1995. During his senior year at the academy, he served as one of three Midshipman Brigade Commanders. He earned a Bachelor of Science in political science and graduated as a Distinguished Naval Graduate.

After graduation, he served in The Pentagon. Through the Thomas G. Pownall Scholarship awarded to him by the Naval Academy Alumni Association, he spent three years at the University of Cambridge where he obtained a Master of Philosophy in international relations. Brigety then served as an active duty U.S. naval officer and entered training to be a submarine officer.

In August 2015, the George Washington University announced they had selected Ambassador Brigety for the dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs. He began serving in that capacity on October 1, 2015.

Brigety is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a recipient of the council's International Affairs Fellowship. a position he began on June 17, 2020. (The vice-chancellor is Sewanee's chief academic officer, on the British model of higher education.) In one of his first actions as vice-chancellor, Brigety proposed new enforcement measures which were more consistent with the university's drug policy. This policy was announced alongside Brigety's four themes for what he deemed a "year of discernment." These themes are achieving national preeminence in academics, strengthening commitment to equality and inclusion, increased focus on global citizenship, and the economic development of the Domain to increase amenities.

Brigety was the first African American to serve as Sewanee's vice-chancellor, at a time when its student body was only 4% Black. He faced significant opposition from some students for his tough approach to campus discipline and pandemic-related health policies, including repeated vandalism of his home. On February 7, 2021, Brigety gave a speech in the campus chapel in which he described the vandalism, adding, "The sanctity, the security and the dignity of my family are inviolate, and we are not leaving."

United States ambassador to South Africa

On December 1, 2021, Brigety announced his resignation from Sewanee, effective December 21. Brigety stated his resignation was due to uncertainty surrounding a possible nomination to be the ambassador to South Africa. He was nominated for the post on February 4, 2022. Hearings were held on his nomination before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 24, 2022. The committee favorably reported his nomination to the Senate floor on June 23, 2022. Brigety was confirmed by the Senate on July 21, 2022 by a 55–40 vote. He presented his credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa on August 11, 2022.

In May 2023, Brigety accused South Africa of supplying arms to Russia during the December 2022 docking of the Russian cargo ship named Lady R. South Africa denied the allegation and claimed that Brigety later apologized for the statement. That comment led South Africa's foreign ministry to summon Brigety and created tension between the United States, South Africa, and Russia. On May 28, 2023, South Africa announced that they would be launching an investigation into the allegations. On June 1, Politico reported that "The Biden administration is furious with its ambassador to South Africa and scrambling to salvage relations with the country after the envoy alleged that Pretoria sent a ship filled with weapons to Russia as it wages war on Ukraine. The ambassador, Reuben Brigety, made the claim three weeks ago in a press briefing, saying he'd "bet my life" on it. He added that South Africa was engaging in "outrageous" anti-Americanism and questioned its claim to be neutral among the world powers..."

Personal life Brigety speaks Spanish, French, and Amharic.