Roberta S. Jacobson

Roberta S. Jacobson (born April 14, 1960) is an American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Mexico from June 2016 to May 2018. She previously served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs from March 30, 2012, to May 5, 2016. The United States Senate approved her nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico on April 28, 2016. In March 2018, Jacobson announced her resignation effective May 5. Foreign Policy reported on January 18, 2021, that Jacobson would be in charge of Mexico–United States border affairs at the National Security Council under President Joe Biden.

Early life and education Born Roberta Ann Steinfeld, she was raised in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Her father, Julian, was an electrical engineer who was the vice president of Mid-Island Electric Supply in Plainview, New York and her mother, Gloria, was a teacher and the supervisor of family and neighborhood counseling for the Bergen County Department of Health Services.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Brown University, then spent 1982 through 1984 at the United Nations Center for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs. She earned her Master of Arts degree in law and diplomacy at Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1986.

Jacobson was director of the State Department's Office of Mexican Affairs from December 2002 to June 2007.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico On November 10, 2015, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's nomination of Jacobson as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico by a vote of 12–7. Opposition to her appointment came primarily from the Republicans on the committee, notably presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio. He and six other Republican senators, along with Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, raised concerns about her position on normalisation of relations between Cuba and the U.S., human rights issues, and the failed extradition of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who had escaped Mexico's highest security prison in July 2015.

The United States Senate approved her appointment to be U.S. Ambassador to Mexico on April 28, 2016. She presented her credentials to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on June 20, 2016. She also held the position of border czar, an informal position held previously by Alan Bersin.

On March 1, 2018, Jacobson filed her notice of resignation, effective May 5, 2018.

In November 2020, Jacobson was named a volunteer member of the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the United States Department of State.

Biden administration After Joe Biden assumed office as president, Jacobson was selected in January 2021 to manage the administration's response to a growing number of migrants attempting to enter the country at the Mexico–United States border. Jacobson was scheduled to remain in her role for Biden's first 100 days in office, but announced her resignation on April 9, 2021. Jacobson now serves as Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group.

Personal life Jacobson is married to Jonathan Jacobson.