James Swan has devoted most of his career to African countries facing complex political transitions in challenging security environments.

Most recently, Swan served as the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia (2019-2022).  He joined the UN after a three-decade career with the U.S. State Department, which included assignments as Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, U.S. Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador to Djibouti, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Swan holds a B.Sc. from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, and a Master’s in Security Studies from the National War College.  He spent the Spring 2023 term as a Distinguished Visitor in International Affairs at Dartmouth College.