The Board of Directors of the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM) announces the appointment of Jennifer Rasamimanana as its Resident Director.
“With her language skills, diplomatic and cultural experience, and vision, Jennifer Rasamimanana is ideal to lead the Tangier American Legation at this historic juncture,” said Board President Dale F. Eickelman.
A United States diplomat for over 20 years, Jennifer Rasamimanana served as the U.S. Consul General in Casablanca from 2017-2020. She retired from the Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor in 2021, having led press, cultural, and educational outreach for the U.S. Embassy in Egypt.
Previously, Ms. Rasamimanana was the Cultural Attaché in Paris as well as Diplomat-in-Residence and Visiting Professor at the School of International Affairs at SciencesPo, Paris.
During the Arab Spring, she was the State Department’s regional Arabic Language Spokesperson, and led engagement with Arabic-speaking publics from Oman to Morocco. She also served at U.S. embassies in Jordan, Tunisia, Syria, and Togo, as well as in key senior State Department positions in Washington DC.
Before joining the Foreign Service, Ms. Rasamimanana taught English as a Foreign Language in Madagascar and worked in technology investment banking and venture capital in Silicon Valley. A graduate of the College of William and Mary, she speaks French and Arabic.
“The American Legation is a vital, tangible symbol of the more than 200 years of friendship between Morocco and the United States,” said U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires David Greene.
“As former Consul General in Casablanca, Jennifer has deep ties with Morocco and is well positioned to help us continue building on the historic friendship between our two countries. She will also help us continue to celebrate the bicentennial of the Legation, our oldest diplomatic post anywhere in the world.”
The American Legation in Tangier, gifted to the U.S. in 1821 by Sultan Moulay Slimane, is the the only National Historic Landmark outside U.S. territory. The site of significant negotiations as a diplomatic mission for over 140 years, it also served as a language school and Peace Corps training site. Today it is a museum, research library, and cultural center. It also represents the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS), part of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.
“I’m delighted to return to Morocco, which feels like coming home, and to continue contributing to the deep and historic friendship between the U.S. and Morocco,” said Ms. Rasamimanana. “As the Legation celebrates its bicentennial, I look forward to helping this unique and wonderful institution grow, innovate, and reach new audiences into its third century.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of US Embassy in Morocco.
