Josie Ratcliffe joined the U.S. Mission to South Africa as the Principal Officer for the U.S. Consulate General Durban in October 2023. Prior to her arrival, Consul General Ratcliffe served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in N’Djamena, Chad. A career diplomat since 2003, she has served in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Islamabad, Pakistan; Kurdistan, Iraq; Beijing, China; Montreal, Quebec; Rabat, Morocco; Charleston, South Carolina; and Kigali, Rwanda. Her roles have included external and provincial politics, economic development, crisis management, finance, and executive oversight of U.S. missions.
Before joining the U.S. Department of State, Ms. Ratcliffe worked in the private sector and published Namaste Cata-mag, an entrepreneurial magazine in Hong Kong promoting women’s empowerment in East Asia. She holds an MA in Chinese Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a BA in Political Science from Principia College, Elsah, Illinois. Her languages include French and Chinese.