Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s current work in Kenya, as a director at Tatu City's parent builds on her long-standing ties to the country, dating back to her early-career posting in the 1990s.
Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and a career diplomat with four decades of foreign service experience, has entered a new chapter in her professional journey.
After completing her term in the Biden administration, she joined Rendeavour, Africa’s largest urban land developer, as a board director, where she now plays a role in guiding strategic decisions and community-focused initiatives across Tatu City. Her transition from public service to the private sector, she notes, was familiar rather than disruptive. “It wasn’t difficult for me,” she explains, in a sit down with The Kenyan Wall Street.
“I had done it previously. I originally retired in 2017 and worked in the private sector for three years before President Biden called and asked me to come back into the Foreign Service.” Returning to private leadership after completing her UN term felt “easier than the first time around,” she says, adding that she was “delighted to be part of this initiative” at Tatu City.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s reflections on her career as a diplomat highlight both the demands and influence of the roles she has held. At the United Nations, the weight of addressing the General Assembly- where her early speeches, including a notable address commemorating the Year of People of African Descent, were widely attended and well received. In the Security Council, however, diplomacy could shift rapidly. She recounts the emergency meeting held just before Russia invaded Ukraine:
“I gave my opening speech saying this is going to happen. We see 100,000 troops on the border. We need to call them out.” As the Russian ambassador defended his country’s actions, “suddenly everybody had their phones out because the attack started while we were in the Council.”
The moment emphasized, she says, the need “to be able to respond on your feet.”
Her career trajectory illustrates the unpredictable nature of diplomatic advancement. “You can’t plan to be an ambassador,” she emphasizes. “Only the president can make that decision, and then you have to be confirmed by the Senate.”
Her own assignments took her from Kenya and Pakistan, where she served as a refugee coordinator, to Geneva, where she held a senior multilateral post before assuming higher-level responsibilities that eventually led to her appointment as Ambassador to Liberia.
Beyond her diplomatic duties, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield places emphasis on personal well-being and the habits that have sustained her. She’s an avid walker who once regularly logged up to 20,000 steps a day while living in New York. She is also known for her passion for cooking, particularly her gumbo- a dish that inspired what she describes as “gumbo diplomacy.” As she explains it, “Gumbo diplomacy is about really sitting down with people and having a discussion over a meal. You’re not going to have a fight over dinner, even if you disagree with each other. You’re going to listen.”
When discussing leadership, she notes that both positive and challenging supervisors played a role in shaping her approach. Difficult bosses, she says, offer instructive lessons on what behaviors and management styles to avoid, while supportive leaders reinforce the importance of kindness, listening, and compassion. For her, effective leadership is grounded in valuing people where she believes that “people matter- how you treat people, how you engage with them. People are the greatest resource that any organization can have.”
Her message to young Africans, especially Kenyan students, is forward-looking. “Africa is the future of the world,” she says, highlighting Africa’s demographic advantage as a young continent and stresses the need for investment in education, ambition, and preparation. She encourages youth to “dream big”- a concept she attributes to former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, arguing that aspirations should be bold enough to challenge one’s comfort zone.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s current work in Kenya builds on her long-standing ties to the country, dating back to her early-career posting in the 1990s.
