WASHINGTON – The Department of State has named Howard University alumna Yolonda Kerney, D. Min., as the Diplomat-in-Residence for the D.C. Metro Region. Kerney will be responsible for the Department of State’s outreach and Foreign Service recruitment for Washington D.C., Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and northern Virginia. Her residency is located in Howard University’s Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center.

“We look forward to working with Kerney for the next two years as she brings visibility to not only careers, but the need for increased diversity in the foreign service. It will be beneficial to our students, and those throughout the Washington, D.C. area,” says Tonija Hope Navas, director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center.

Kerney joined the United States Diplomatic Corps as a foreign service officer in 2004. She served as counselor for public affairs at the U.S. Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; public affairs officer at the U.S. Mission to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica; cultural affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Cameroon; and economic officer and chief consul at the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Guinea.  She is the recipient of several Department of State Meritorious Honor and Superior Honor awards, and the Lois Roth Award for Excellence in Cultural Diplomacy. 

Kerney is a three-time alumna of Howard University having earned her undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in music history and literature, and religious studies. Before joining the Foreign Service, she served as a music historian at the United States Library of Congress.

Those interested in Department of State internships, fellowships, or foreign service employment may connect with Kerney on Facebook to see her calendar of public events, as well as her availability for walk-in or call-in appointments, here: https://www.facebook.com/dirdcmetro/

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(Headshot provided by Kerney)

About the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center

Established in 1993, the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center serves as Howard’s point of contact for a range of inquiries from entities outside the university: foreign embassies, governments, universities and corporations, as well as U.S. government agencies. We also integrate global perspectives into the HU experience, promote education abroad, facilitate deeper scholarship on global issues, support cross-cultural dialogue and respect for cultural diversity, and prepare leaders who can find solutions to global problems. We offer a variety of opportunities for students and faculty. To learn more, visit www.global.howard.edu

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, one Schwarzman Scholar, over 70 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States.  For more information on Howard University visit www.howard.edu

Media Contact: Imani Pope-Johns, Imani.popejohns@howard.edu