The administration of US President Joe Biden this week announced the appointment of career diplomat Marissa Scott as the new Consul General to Casablanca, Morocco
Marissa Scott has a long track record as a US diplomat, having served in a variety of countries before her new appointment to the US consulate in Morocco’s economic heart in Casablanca. As head of the diplomatic mission in Casablanca, she will oversee the implementation of US foreign policy in the vast new US consulate located in the center of Morocco’s bustling economic capital.
Designs for the new US Consulate General in Casablanca, to be completed in 2024.
From Louisiana to the African continent
Having grown up in a small town in rural Louisiana, Scott’s talent was recognized at an early age as she was awarded the Luard Morse scholarship to attend the prestigious King’s College in London, UK. According to an interview with the English-Speaking Union (ESU-USA), Scott’s time in London sparked her interest in international affairs that led to a career at the US State Department.
After her time in London Scott studied at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish Language before earning a Master’s degree in International Relations.
In 2003, Scott started her career as a Foreign Affairs Assistant in Washington DC, where she worked until March 2012 alongside US Embassies in Africa, including the US Embassy in Algiers. She then moved to Niamey in Niger to take the position of Public Affairs Officer where she worked for three years. Following her work in Niger, Scott would remain in Africa as next came an appointment as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde.
Skilled diplomat and linguist
Marissa Scott’s skills as a linguist and her command of the French language served her well in West-Africa until she moved to South Africa to serve as the Director of the Africa Regional Media Hub, an office aimed at connecting US policymakers with media in Sub-Saharan Africa. While serving as director, she also functioned as the French Language Spokesperson for the Department of State.
Following her nine-year stint in Africa, Scott was called back to Washington DC in August of 2022 to work as the DEIA Coordinator for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs until she returned to Africa following her appointment as Consul General to Casablanca in August of 2023.
According to her State Department bio, Scott has worked on assignments in Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, Niger, and Cape Verde, and is likely well-versed in the regional geopolitical situation in Morocco as she also did work in Algeria, where she received the Meritorious Honor Award issued by the US Embassy in Algiers in 2011.
Ambitious and driven
In her ESU-USA interview, Scott argued that “the American Dream is nothing more than a story that people want for themselves … I love the fact that I get a chance to represent my country in a capacity that allows me to speak with authority.” She particularly spoke of feeling proud about being an African-American person, arguing that she loves “ being a person of color, being able to represent that.”
While her skin color “sometimes puts an extra burden,” Scott said, it is “a burden in a good way, a weight that I don’t mind carrying, because when I’m out and abroad, and people don’t think that I’m a diplomat, and then they’re either shocked, amazed, or surprised that I am. I feel good about that. Because I just changed their perspective of what an American is and what America is.”
As a keen linguist, Scott speaks Spanish and French and holds certificates for strategic communications and public relations, as well as conflict resolution.
On social media, Scott has shared posts on several US issues affecting marginalized communities, including posts expressing support for the LGBTQIA community and covering US racial and gender inequalities. Besides her activities for the US State Department, Scott continues to serve on the board of both the USA Girl Scouts Overseas Advisory Council and as board member of the Melton Foundation.
With Marissa’ Scott’s appointment, it appears the US Consulate in Morocco has gained a skilled veteran diplomat that is equipped with the linguistic skills, and a sharp understanding of regional issues and priorities, that undoubtedly will prove useful in her time in Morocco. Scott’s new appointment appears to be a fitting next step in her career, as she expressed to ESA-USA that she hopes to one day become a US Ambassador.
“I am honored to take up the role of Consul General in Casablanca,” Scott said in a press release from the US State Department. “The Consulate is an integral part of the U.S. Mission in Morocco, and I look forward to supporting our bilateral relationship through the broad range of consular services, educational and cultural programs, and commercial resources we offer in Casablanca.”
