Deputy Chief of Mission
Biography of Lisa Peterson
Deputy Chief of Mission
United States Embassy, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Arrived Post: August 2009
Lisa Peterson has worked with the U.S. Department of State since 1989, focusing her overseas assignments in Africa. She most recently served as the Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, where she focused on educational and cultural exchange opportunities. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Office Director in the Office of Central African Affairs. She has served as a political officer in Kenya, where she supported peace processes in both Sudan and Somalia. As a political officer in Zambia, she supported peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, refugee programs, and electoral reform activities. She also served as a political officer in the Democratic Republic of Congo, focusing on human rights issues and democratic development. She held both consular and political portfolios in South Africa and the Central African Republic. Outside Africa, she served as an analyst for Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
Ms. Peterson has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Rochester. She has received two individual Superior Honor Awards and one Meritorious Honor Award from the Department of State, as well as two group Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards.
Ms. Peterson’s husband currently serves at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.