Ambassador Barbara Stephenson

Barbara J. Stephenson is vice provost for global affairs and chief global officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil. She is a distinguished diplomat, former U.S. ambassador, international leader and prior dean of the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute. She leads UNC Global and advances a pan-university global strategy to enhance UNC-Chapel Hill’s global reach, impact and reputation.
Stephenson, a fierce advocate for the role of higher education in addressing complex global challenges, has extensive experience forging constructive collaboration across societies and geographies.
During her distinguished 34-year career in the Foreign Service, she was U.S. ambassador to Panama, the first woman chargé d’affaires and deputy ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in London, American Consul General in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and dean of the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute. She earned her PhD, MA, and BA in English literature from the University of Florida.