Sherman, 73, has worked for the U.S. State Department since 1993. She made the announcement in an email to staff and through Twitter on Friday, May 12, which is the same day she joined the federal agency decades ago.
“As I reflect on the past 30 years, I am proud to know that our State Department family will continue to carry forward our work in selfless service to all our citizens so that we can build a free, open, secure, and prosperous world for our children and grandchildren,” Sherman tweeted.
In her career, which spanned three presidents and five secretaries of state across Democratic administrations, Sherman helped craft U.S. foreign policy during some of the most tumultuous times in American history.
Sherman served as a counselor to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was the first female secretary of state and a special adviser and policy coordinator on North Korea to President Bill Clinton.
Sherman became the first female undersecretary of state for political affairs in the Obama administration, playing a key role in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions on the U.S. adversary in return for Tehran’s commitment not to develop a nuclear weapon.
In the Biden administration, Sherman has overseen competition with China in the Indo-Pacific and U.S. support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion last year.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Sherman a “friend” and said his second in command “addressed some of the toughest foreign policy challenges of our time.”
Read more at TheHill.com.
