Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs


The Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Consular Affairs within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs reports to the Under Secretary of State for Management. From 1953 to 1977, the position was called Administrator of the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs.

List of the Assistant Secretaries of State for Security and Consular Affairs, 1953—77

NameAssumed OfficeLeft OfficePresident served under
R. W. Scott McLeodMarch 3, 1953March 9, 1957Dwight D. Eisenhower
Roderic L. O'ConnorMay 28, 1957December 29, 1958Dwight D. Eisenhower
John W. Hanes IIIJanuary 1, 1959October 4, 1962Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy
Abba P. SchwartzOctober 5, 1962March 6, 1966John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
Barbara M. WatsonAugust 12, 1968December 31, 1974Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon
Leonard F. WalentynowiczJanuary 2, 1975March 7, 1977Gerald Ford

List of the Assistant Secretaries of State for Consular Affairs, 1977–present

NameAssumed OfficeLeft OfficePresident served under
Barbara M. WatsonApril 13, 1977August 17, 1980Jimmy Carter
Diego C. AsencioAugust 29, 1980November 21, 1983Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan
Joan M. ClarkDecember 22, 1983October 18, 1989Ronald Reagan
Elizabeth M. TamposiOctober 18, 1989November 10, 1992George H. W. Bush
Mary A. RyanMay 12, 1993September 30, 2002Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
Maura HartyNovember 20, 2002February 29, 2008George W. Bush
Janice L. JacobsJune 10, 2008April 4, 2014George W. Bush and Barack Obama
Michele T. BondApril 3, 2014January 26, 2017Barack Obama and Donald Trump
Carl RischAugust 11, 2017IncumbentDonald Trump