Deputy Chief of Mission Joann M. Lockard
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Joann Lockard joined the Foreign Service in 1998. She arrived in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in August 2020 as Deputy Chief of Mission. As a public diplomacy officer, Joann served as Counselor for Public Affairs for the U.S. Embassies in Prague, The Hague, Kampala, and Ouagadougou. She had additional foreign assignments in Almaty and San Salvador. In Washington, Joann supported public diplomacy programs in Northern Europe and Central America.
Prior to joining the State Department, Joann worked as a budget analyst for the Defense Information Systems Agency. She received her BA in International Affairs from George Washington University, including a year studying French and History at the Université de Caen, and her MS in National Security Strategy from the National War College in Washington, DC. Joann speaks French and has learned Spanish, Dutch, Russian, and Czech. She is married to Aaron Lockard, also a career member of the Foreign Service. The couple has three daughters and several furry family members.