William M. Bellamy is a senior adviser to the Africa Program at CSIS and Warburg Professor of International Relations at Simmons University in Boston, MA. He was previously director of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., and, before that, senior vice president of the National Defense University itself. Ambassador Bellamy retired from the Foreign Service after a 30-year career in 2007. His last overseas posting was as U.S. ambassador to Kenya (2003–2006), where he directed U.S. security programs in the Horn of Africa, supervised the U.S. government’s largest foreign HIV/AIDS program, and led multinational efforts to combat corruption and promote good governance. He has served as principal deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs (2001–2003) and as deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs (2000–2001). His earlier diplomatic assignments include deputy chief of mission in Canberra (1997–2000), political minister-counselor in Paris (1993–1997), and political counselor in Pretoria and Cape Town (1991–1993). In South Africa, he was closely engaged in U.S. diplomatic efforts to promote a peaceful transition from apartheid to democratic rule.

Ambassador Bellamy holds a B.A. in history from Occidental College and an M.A. in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He holds certificates from the Institute Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration in Paris. He is the recipient of a Presidential Meritorious Service Award, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and a Distinguished Honor Award and two Superior Honor Awards conferred by the U.S. secretary of state.