The Biden administration’s No. 2 diplomat has announced her retirement.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will step down from the post this summer, having been involved in some of the most consequential and controversial foreign policy decisions during Democratic administrations since Bill Clinton was president.
Sherman, 73, said in an internal note to State Department staff that her retirement would be effective at the end of June.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded Sherman’s career, saying President Joe Biden chose her for the No. 2 post at the State Department because he believed she could revitalize America’s relationships around the world.
“President Biden asked Wendy to serve in this role because he knew he could count on her to help revitalize America’s alliances and partnerships and manage our complex relationships with competitors,” Blinken said in a statement.
Sherman has been a key part of the Biden administration’s actions on China and the Indo-Pacific, engaging with Pacific island states while also meeting with senior Chinese officials on numerous occasions.
She also had a significant role in marshaling international diplomatic support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.
As counselor to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Sherman was a lead negotiator in the Clinton administration’s ultimately unsuccessful talks to end North Korea’s ballistic missile program in the late 1990s.
Then, as undersecretary of state for political affairs during the Obama administration, she was the lead negotiator with Iran on the widely criticized 2015 nuclear deal.
“Today, exactly 30 years to the day I started my first job at the State Department in 1993, I am announcing that I will retire (or ‘re-retire’) from government service at the end of June,” Sherman said in a statement posted to Twitter.
Over that time, I have had the incredible privilege of serving the American people under three U.S. presidents. I want to thank @POTUS and @SecBlinken for the faith they placed in me to serve as the 21st Deputy Secretary of State—the first woman to hold the position. pic.twitter.com/oUyb6SwOJd
— Wendy R. Sherman (@DeputySecState) May 12, 2023
As I reflect on the past 30 years, I am proud to know that our State Department family will continue to carry forward our work in selfless service to all our citizens so that we can build a free, open, secure, and prosperous world for our children and grandchildren. pic.twitter.com/hSANPc4pYA
— Wendy R. Sherman (@DeputySecState) May 12, 2023
“Her remarkable career – which spans more than three decades, three presidents, and five secretaries of state – addressed some of the toughest foreign policy challenges of our time,” Blinken said.
“Our nation is safer and more secure, and our partnerships more robust, due to her leadership,” he said.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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