{{Short description|American diplomat (born 1960)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Roberta Jacobson | image = Roberta S. Jacobson official photo.jpg | office = [[United States Ambassador to Mexico]] | president = [[Barack Obama]]<br />[[Donald Trump]] | term_start = June 20, 2016 | term_end = May 5, 2018 | predecessor = [[Earl Anthony Wayne]] | successor = [[Christopher Landau]] | office1 = 32nd [[Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs]] | president1 = [[Barack Obama]] | term_start1 = July 31, 2011 | term_end1 = May 5, 2016<br />Acting: July 31, 2011 – March 30, 2012 | predecessor1 = [[Arturo Valenzuela]] | successor1 = [[Kimberly Breier]] | birth_name = Roberta Ann Steinfeld | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|4|14}} | birth_place = {{nowrap|[[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.}} | death_date = | death_place = | education = [[Brown University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy|Tufts University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]]) }} '''Roberta S. Jacobson''' (born April 14, 1960) is an American diplomat who was the [[United States Ambassador to Mexico]] from June 2016 to May 2018.<ref>[http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2018/05/roberta-jacobson-leaves-mexico-and-retires-after-30-year-state-career/ Roberta Jacobson leaves Mexico and retires after 30-year State Career]</ref> She previously served as the [[Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs]] from March 30, 2012, to May 5, 2016. The [[United States Senate]] approved her nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico on April 28, 2016. In March 2018, Jacobson announced her resignation effective May 5.<ref>Toosi, Nahal (March 1, 2018). "[https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/01/ambassador-mexico-roberta-jacobson-resign-432142 U.S. ambassador to Mexico stepping down]". ''Politico''.</ref> ''[[Foreign Policy]]'' reported on January 18, 2021, that Jacobson would be in charge of [[Mexico–United States border]] affairs at the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] under President [[Joe Biden]].<ref>{{cite news |title=La exembajadora Roberta Jacobson se hará cargo de la frontera con México: Foreign Policy |url=https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/2021/1/18/la-exembajadora-roberta-jacobson-se-hara-cargo-de-la-frontera-con-mexico-foreign-policy-256504.html?fbclid=IwAR2CorZnQsfPQjxMdbfOGWWpl4B9K_Oxb0tIp8-ToMqDsi3D8pvGhlk3U4I |access-date=January 18, 2021 |work=proceso.com.mx |publisher=Proceso |date=January 18, 2021 |language=spanish}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Born Roberta Ann Steinfeld, she was raised in [[Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey]].<ref name="Marriage">{{cite news|title=Roberta Ann Steinfeld Weds Jonathan V. Jacobson|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/30/style/roberta-ann-steinfeld-weds-jonathan-v-jacobson.html |access-date=February 6, 2017|work=The New York Times |date=December 30, 1985}}</ref> Her father, Julian, was an electrical engineer who was the vice president of Mid-Island Electric Supply in [[Plainview, New York]] and her mother, Gloria, was a teacher and the supervisor of family and neighborhood counseling for the [[Bergen County, New Jersey|Bergen County]] Department of Health Services.<ref name="Marriage" /><ref name="Jackson" /> Her parents were both active in the local community, with her mother serving on the board of education as its president and her father appointed to serve on the municipality's board of adjustment. She graduated from [[Dwight Morrow High School]].<ref name="Jackson">Jackson, Herb (December 7, 2015). "[http://www.northjersey.com/news/jackson-jersey-girl-stuck-in-limbo-for-mexico-ambassador-post-1.1468850 'Jersey girl' stuck in limbo for Mexico ambassador post]". ''[[The Record (Bergen County)]]''. Retrieved December 7, 2015. "Jacobson, the former Roberta Steinfeld, grew up in Englewood Cliffs and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School. Her dad was an electrical engineer who once headed the borough Board of Adjustment, and her mom, a former teacher, was school board president at one point."</ref>
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at [[Brown University]], then spent 1982 through 1984 at the [[United Nations]] Center for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs.<ref name=StateProfile>"[https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/198696.htm Biography: Roberta S. Jacobson]". ''United States Department of State''. Archived from [https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/198696.htm the original] on October 12, 2012.</ref> She earned her Master of Arts degree in law and diplomacy at [[Tufts University]] [[Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy]] in 1986.<ref name=StateProfile />
==Career==
=== Early career === [[File:Roberta S Jacobson.jpg|thumb|Official State Department portrait]] In 1988, she worked at the [[United States National Security Council]].<ref name=StateProfile /> The next year, she joined the [[Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs]] in the [[United States Department of State]] as special assistant to the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, becoming executive assistant to the assistant secretary in 1992.<ref name=StateProfile /> She also served as coordinator for Cuban affairs.<ref name=StateProfile /> From 1996 to 2000, she was director of the Office of Policy Planning and Coordination at the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, covering issues such as civil-military relations, human rights, foreign assistance, and counter-narcotics throughout the hemisphere.<ref name=StateProfile />
From 2000 to 2002, she was deputy [[Head of Mission|chief of mission]] in the [[United States Ambassador to Peru|United States Embassy in Peru]].<ref name=StateProfile /> The [[American Foreign Service Association]], which represents the interests of career diplomats, objected to her appointment because the post is normally reserved for a foreign service officer and she was a civil service employee. Secretary of State [[Madeleine Albright]] overrode the recommendation of a State Department grievance board that recommended Jacobson be reassigned. The U.S. ambassador to Peru, [[John Randle Hamilton|John Hamilton]], had chosen Jacobson over several career diplomats. He defended her selection in November 2000 saying: "She is the best manager I've come across in my 31 years in the Foreign Service".<ref>{{cite news|access-date=May 1, 2016|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/2000/12/02/usn_albright.shtml |title=Albright move angers some career diplomats |work=[[Amarillo Globe-News]] |date=December 2, 2000 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
Jacobson was director of the State Department's Office of Mexican Affairs from December 2002 to June 2007.<ref name=StateProfile /> At that point, she became deputy assistant secretary for [[Canada]], [[Mexico]] and [[North American Free Trade Agreement|NAFTA]] issues in the Bureau.<ref name=StateProfile /> She was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs from December 2010 until July 2011, with responsibility for regional political and economic issues, management and personnel, and regional security issues.<ref name=StateProfile />
=== Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs === When [[Arturo Valenzuela]] left the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, she became acting assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.<ref name="StateProfile" /> U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] named her assistant secretary of state and she was sworn into office on March 30, 2012.<ref name="StateProfile" />
Jacobson led a U.S. delegation to [[Havana]] for historic talks with the [[government of Cuba]] in January 2015. According to advance media reports, she was expected to press Cuba to drop travel restrictions on American diplomats and propose that Cuba and the United States establish an embassy in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] and Havana respectively.<ref name="delegation">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-usa-idUSKBN0KS1Q520150120|work=Reuters|title=U.S. wants end to travel curbs, set up embassy in Cuba talks|date=January 19, 2015|access-date=January 20, 2015}}</ref>
=== U.S. Ambassador to Mexico === On November 10, 2015, the [[United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations|Senate Foreign Relations Committee]] approved Obama's nomination of Jacobson as the [[United States Ambassador to Mexico|U.S. ambassador to Mexico]] by a vote of 12–7. Opposition to her appointment came primarily from the Republicans on the committee, notably presidential candidate Senator [[Marco Rubio]]. He and six other Republican senators, along with Democratic Senator [[Bob Menendez|Robert Menendez]], raised concerns about her position on normalisation of [[Cuba-United States relations|relations between Cuba and the U.S.]], human rights issues, and the failed extradition of [[Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán]], who had escaped Mexico's highest security prison in July 2015.<ref name="Mexican ambassador">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mexico-diplomacy-idUSKCN0SZ20C20151111 |work=Reuters |title=After delay, U.S. Senate approves nominee to be ambassador to Mexico |date=November 10, 2015|access-date=November 18, 2015}}</ref>
The [[United States Senate]] approved her appointment to be U.S. Ambassador to Mexico on April 28, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|last= Severns |first=Maggie |date=April 28, 2016 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/roberta-jacobson-confirmed-mexico-222613|title=Roberta Jacobson confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Mexico|publisher=Politico|access-date=April 28, 2016}}</ref> She presented her credentials to Mexican President [[Enrique Peña Nieto]] on June 20, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mx.usembassy.gov/remarks-ambassador-roberta-s-jacobson-presenting-letters-credence-mexican-president-enrique-pena-nieto/|title=Remarks by Ambassador Roberta S. Jacobson after Presenting her Letters of Credence to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto|publisher=United States Embassy in Mexico City|date=June 20, 2016|access-date=June 21, 2016|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331043925/https://mx.usembassy.gov/remarks-ambassador-roberta-s-jacobson-presenting-letters-credence-mexican-president-enrique-pena-nieto/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She also held the position of border czar, an informal position held previously by [[Alan Bersin]].<ref>[https://fox59.com/hill-politics/5-things-to-know-about-tom-homan-trumps-new-border-czar/ "5 things to know about Tom Homan, Trump’s new border czar,"] Fox.</ref>
On March 1, 2018, Jacobson filed her notice of resignation, effective May 5, 2018.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ahmed|first1=Azam|title=U.S. Ambassador to Mexico to Quit Amid Tense Relations Under Trump|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/world/americas/us-ambassador-mexico.html|access-date=March 8, 2018|work=The New York Times|date=March 1, 2018}}</ref>
In November 2020, Jacobson was named a volunteer member of the [[Presidential transition of Joe Biden|Joe Biden presidential transition]] Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the [[United States Department of State]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Agency Review Teams |url=https://buildbackbetter.com/the-transition/agency-review-teams/ |website=President-Elect Joe Biden |access-date=10 November 2020 |archive-date=28 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828180800/https://www.whitehouse.gov/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=== Biden administration === After [[Joe Biden]] assumed office as president, Jacobson was selected in January 2021 to manage the administration's response to a growing number of migrants attempting to enter the country at the [[Mexico–United States border]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gramer |first1=Robbie |date=January 18, 2021 |title=Biden to Tap Seasoned Former Diplomat to Oversee Southern Border Policy |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/18/biden-southern-border-mexico-immigration-asylum-policy-national-security-council-roberta-jacobson-diplomacy-mexico-northern-triangle/ |access-date=23 August 2024 |publisher=Foreign Policy}}</ref> Jacobson was scheduled to remain in her role for Biden's first 100 days in office, but announced her resignation on April 9, 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Shear|first1=Michael D.|last2=Kanno-Youngs|first2=Zolan|last3=Rogers|first3=Katie|date=2021-04-09|title=White House Border Coordinator to Step Down|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/us/politics/biden-border-czar.html|access-date=2021-04-10|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Jacobson now serves as Senior Advisor at [[Albright Stonebridge Group]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=News {{!}} Albright Stonebridge Group |url=https://www.albrightstonebridge.com/news/press-release-asg-welcomes-roberta-jacobson-return-roberto-da%C3%B1ino-senior-advisors |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=www.albrightstonebridge.com}}</ref>
==Personal life== Jacobson is married to Jonathan Jacobson.<ref name="Marriage"/> They live with their two sons in [[Potomac, Maryland]]. She is [[American Jews|Jewish]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2016/04/28/senate-confirms-jacobson-envoy-mexico/ |title=Senate confirms Jacobson as envoy to Mexico|work=[[San Diego Jewish World]]|date=April 28, 2016|access-date=May 5, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Jewish Insider's Daily Kickoff: April 13, 2018 |publisher=[[Haaretz]]|date=April 13, 2018 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/jewish-insider-s-daily-kickoff-april-13-2018-1.5995201 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413225204/https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/jewish-insider-s-daily-kickoff-april-13-2018-1.5995201 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 13, 2018 }}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Biography|Politics}} *[[Ambassadors of the United States#Current U.S. Ambassadors|List of ambassadors of the United States]] *[[First presidency of Donald Trump|Presidency of Donald Trump]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{commons category-inline}} *{{C-SPAN|27063}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[Arturo Valenzuela]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs]]|years=2011–2016<br />{{small|Acting: 2011–2012}}}} {{s-aft|after=[[Mari Carmen Aponte|Mari Aponte]]<br />{{small|Acting}}}} |- {{s-dip}} {{s-bef|before=[[Earl Anthony Wayne]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Mexico]]|years=2016–2018}} {{s-aft|after=[[Christopher Landau]]}} {{s-end}}
{{US Ambassadors to Mexico}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobson, Roberta S.}} [[Category:1960 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Mexico]] [[Category:Brown University alumni]] [[Category:Dwight Morrow High School alumni]] [[Category:People from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey]] [[Category:Politicians from New York City]] [[Category:The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni]] [[Category:United States assistant secretaries of state]] [[Category:United States Foreign Service personnel]] [[Category:20th-century American Jews]] [[Category:Women ambassadors of the United States]] [[Category:21st-century American Jews]] [[Category:20th-century American women]] [[Category:21st-century American women]] [[Category:Members of the Inter-American Dialogue]] [[Category:Politicians from Bergen County, New Jersey]]