Ambassador Johnnie Carson is the Special Presidential Representative for U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Implementation. In this position, he coordinates with U.S. and African government, civil society, private sector, and diaspora representatives to ensure that the important dialogues that began during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022 lead to durable action. A retired Sernior Foreign Service Officer, Ambassador Carson dedicated his 37-year diplomatic career to African diplomacy, serving as the former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Ambassador to Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Earlier in his career, he also served in Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Portugal, and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania.