Bonnie Jenkins

Bonnie Jenkins
Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs
Incumbent
Assumed office July 13, 2009
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Position established
Personal details
Born	New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Amherst College Albany Law School State University of New York, Albany Georgetown University University of Virginia

Bonnie Jenkins (born in Queens, New York) currently serves as the U.S. Department of State's Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.^[1] She is also the U.S. representative to the G7 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (WMD) and chaired the Global Partnership in 2012. She is the Department of State lead on the Nuclear Security Summit, and she coordinates the Department of State's activities related to the effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear material. Jenkins coordinates the Department of State's Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) programs and helps to ensure a coordinated approach when promoting these programs internationally. Jenkins engages in outreach efforts and regularly briefs United States Combatant Commands about WMD programs in their area of responsibility, works closely with relevant international organizations and multilateral initiatives, and works closely with nongovernmental organizations engaged in CTR-related activities.

Jenkins is also engaged in the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), which is an international effort with over 50 countries to reduce infections disease threats such as Ebola and Zika. Launched in February 2014, Jenkins has worked closely with governments to help ensure they recognize that GHSA is a multi-sectoral effort requiring the engagement of all relevant stakeholder to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats. Jenkins leads an international effort to engage non-governmental stakeholders in the GHSA and she has also developed a GHSA Next Generation network.

Jenkins has dedicated significant attention to the engagement of Africa in the threat of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons and working closely with the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), has developed a program, Threat Reduction in Africa (TRIA), to help ensure that U.S. programs and activities in CBRN security are well coordinated and as accurately as possible meet the needs of countries where those programs are engaged.

Jenkins serves as the Leadership Liaison for the Department of State's Veterans-at-State Affinity Group. She also serves on the Department of State's Diversity Governance Board.

Career

Prior to rejoining the U.S. Government, Jenkins most recently served as the program officer for U.S. foreign and security policy at the Ford Foundation. Her grant-making responsibilities sought to strengthen public engagement in U.S. foreign and security policy debate and formulation. She promoted support for multiculturalism, the peaceful resolution of disputes, and the international rule of law. Before joining the Ford Foundation, Jenkins served as counsel on the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, more commonly known as the "9/11 Commission". She was the lead Commission staff member on counter-terrorism policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on U.S. military plans targeting al Qaeda prior to 9/11.^[2]

Jenkins also served as General Counsel to the U.S. commission to assess the organization of the federal government to combat proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and as a consultant to the 2000 National Commission on Terrorism. Additionally, she worked at the RAND Corporation in their national security division. A retired U.S. Naval Reserve officer, she completed in 2006 a year-long deployment to U.S. Central Command in Support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She received numerous awards in her time as an officer in the Naval Reserve, including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Navy Pistol Marksman Ribbon.^[2]

Jenkins is an expert on arms control and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. She served for nine years as legal adviser to U.S. ambassadors and delegations negotiating arms control and nonproliferation treaties during her time as a legal adviser in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. She has been a legal adviser on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, among others. She has also served as U.S. legal adviser on relevant treaty implementing bodies, such as the CTBT Organization (CTBTO), and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).^[2]

Education

Jenkins has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School and co-led arms control and nonproliferation simulated negotiations at Standford University's Center for International Center and Security Cooperation. She was a fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. During her years at Belfer, she served as an advisor at Harvard Law School's Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising. Jenkins has a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Virginia; an LL.M. in international and comparative law from the Georgetown University Law Center; an M.P.A. from the State University of New York at Albany; a J.D. from Albany Law School; and a B.A. from Amherst College. She also attended the Hague Academy of International Law. She attended The Spence School in New York City for her high school. ^[2]

References

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN