Martin Forums | 2020-2021
The Martin Institute welcomes Ambassador Robert P. Jackson as the 2021 Visiting Distinguished Practitioner of International Affairs in the Martin Institute and Program in International Studies.
Ambassador Jackson is the former Ambassador to Ghana and Cameroon and the 2021 Martin Forum speaker. Martin Forum speakers deliver a public lecture, visit classes when possible and meet with campus and community audiences in informal settings.
The Ambassador will be speaking on “U.S. Diplomacy in Africa” on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. (PST) on Zoom.
Join us on Zoom at: 2021 MARTIN FORUM
*Or copy and paste this link in your browser: https://uidaho.zoom.us/s/88937970693
Robert P. Jackson served as Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana from 2015-2018. He previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and was Ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon from 2010 until 2013.
The Ambassador has been a Member of the Senior Foreign Service since December 2003. In 2006, he received the James A. Baker III - C. Howard Wilkins, Jr., Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission. He has also received three individual superior honor awards and two individual meritorious honor awards.
Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1982, Ambassador Jackson taught French and English as a foreign language at the Institut Montana in Zugerberg, Switzerland. He had previously taught English and American Civilization at the University of Clermont in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
The Ambassador earned his M.S. in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University, his M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, DC, and his B.A. in Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He also speaks French and Portuguese.
Ambassador Jackson's previous assignments and postings:
- Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires, a.i., Rabat, Morocco
- Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires, a.i., Dakar, Senegal
- Director of the Office for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy at the Department of State in Washington, DC
- Political/Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
- Political-Military Officer in Lisbon, Portugal
- Coordinator of the Entry-Level Officer Training Program (A-100) and Deputy Director of the Orientation Division at the Foreign Service Institute Country Officer for Zimbabwe and Botswana
- Chief of the Political Section in Harare, Zimbabwe
- Country Officer for Nigeria
- Political/Economic Officer in Bujumbura, Burundi
- Consular/Economic Officer in Montreal, Canada.
Following is a link to Ambassador Jackson's farewell remarks which shows how much he loved Ghana and his accomplishments while in office, an enlightening read: Farewell Remarks
