Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs


The assistant secretary of state for consular affairs is the head of the Bureau of Consular Affairs within the United States Department of State. The assistant secretary of state for consular affairs reports to the Under [Secretary of State for Management|under secretary of state for management]. From 1953 to 1977, the position was called Administrator of the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs. The bureau is "responsible for the welfare and protection of U.S. citizens abroad, for the issuance of passports and other documentation to citizens and nationals, and for the protection of U.S. border security and the facilitation of legitimate travel to the United States" as described by the bureau's website.

List of the assistant secretaries of state

Security and consular affairs, 1953–77

#NameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served under
1R. W. Scott McLeodMarch 3, 1953March 9, 1957Dwight D. Eisenhower
2Roderic L. O'ConnorMay 28, 1957December 29, 1958Dwight D. Eisenhower
3John W. Hanes IIIJanuary 1, 1959October 4, 1962Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy
4Abba P. SchwartzOctober 5, 1962March 6, 1966John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
5Barbara M. WatsonAugust 12, 1968December 31, 1974Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon
6Leonard F. WalentynowiczJanuary 2, 1975March 7, 1977Gerald Ford

Consular affairs, 1977–present

#NameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served under
7Barbara M. WatsonApril 13, 1977August 17, 1980Jimmy Carter
8Diego C. AsencioAugust 29, 1980November 21, 1983Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan
9Joan M. ClarkDecember 22, 1983October 18, 1989Ronald Reagan
10Elizabeth M. TamposiOctober 18, 1989November 10, 1992George H. W. Bush
11Mary A. RyanMay 12, 1993September 30, 2002Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
12Maura HartyNovember 20, 2002February 29, 2008George W. Bush
13Janice L. JacobsJune 10, 2008April 4, 2014George W. Bush and Barack Obama
14Michele T. BondApril 4, 2014January 26, 2017Barack Obama and Donald Trump
-David T. Donahue January 26, 2017August 11, 2017Donald Trump
15Carl RischAugust 11, 2017December 22, 2020Donald Trump
-Mora Namdar December 22, 2020January 20, 2021Donald Trump
-Ian G. Brownlee January 20, 2021August 12, 2021Joe Biden
16Rena BitterAugust 12, 2021January 20, 2025Joe Biden
-Julie Stufft January 20, 2025February 27, 2025Donald Trump
-John Armstrong February 27, 2025December 22, 2025Donald Trump
17Mora NamdarDecember 22, 2025PresentDonald Trump