Shirley Elizabeth Barnes

Shirley Elizabeth Barnes (born April 5, 1938) is a former United States diplomat and a career Foreign Service officer. She was appointed United States Ambassador to Madagascar from June 29, 1998, to July 28, 2001.

Life Barnes was born on April 5, 1938, in St. Augustine, Florida. When she was five years old, her family moved to Saratoga, New York.

Education In 1956 she graduated from Baruch College She was promoted in 1986 to the Supervisor for the General Services Office at the Embassy in Senegal. From 1990 to 1992, Barnes worked as a Counselor for Administration in East Berlin, Germany.

Barnes received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2006 from Knox College.

She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and the American Foreign Service Association. She is also an avid patron of African art and speaks French.