New US Ambassador designate sworn in MRS. SUE McCourt Cobb was sworn in by US Secretary of State, General Colin Powell, on Wednesday as the first step in taking over the reins at the helm of diplomatic relations between Jamaica and the United States. The ceremony, which took place in Wash-ington, D.C. follows on the US senate's August 1 confirmation of her nomination by Pres-ident George W. Bush to be Ambassador Ex-traordinary and Ple-nipotentiary of the United States to Jamaica. This confirmation made Cobb the 13th US Ambassador to the island, and the first woman to be appointed to the post. She will succeed Stan McLelland who completed his assignment in March of this year. Until Mrs. Cobb arrives in Jamaica, Richard H. Smyth will continue to run the affairs of the US Mission in Jamaica as the Embassy's Charge d' Affaires. In his official statement of nomination on April 4, President Bush said of Mrs. Cobb "Sue Cobb's leadership, public service and business experience will make her an outstanding Ambassador to Jamaica. I am pleased that she has agreed to serve." Cobb is the managing director and general counsel of Cobb Part-ners, Ltd., a private investment firm located in Coral Gables, Florida, and she was previously the founding director of the Public Finance Depart-ment of the Greenburg Traurig Law Firm. She has received numerous honours including the Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award and is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Miami School of Law. Mrs. Cobb is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Miami School of Law. She is admitted to the bars of the United States Supreme Court, the State of Florida, the State of Colorado and the District of Columbia. Mrs. Cobb serves on the Boards of Directors of LNR Properties, Inc., Durango Mountain Resort LLC, and Kirkwood Associates, Inc., as well as on the State of Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Committee. She has also served on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank, Miami Branch, and was Chairperson for three terms. Mrs. Cobb has served on the boards as an officer or director of many civic and charitable organisations, including Goodwill Industries, the United Way and the Zoological Society of Florida. She is a keynote speaker in various forums around the world at corporate conferences and interest groups. She has received numerous recognitions and has recently been honoured with The Order of the Falcon, Grand Cross Knight, from the nation of Iceland, the 2001 Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award, and the 2000 Silver Medallion Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews for contributions to civic causes and to humanity. Mrs. Cobb is a nationally-ranked skier and tennis player, an experienced scuba diver and high-altitude mountain climber. She has written a chronicle on her travels through Tibet and her attempt to be the first woman from the United States to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Mrs. Cobb is married to Charles E. Cobb, a former United States Ambassador to Iceland. They are national supporters of business and educational activities. The Cobb's primary residence is in Coral Gables, Florida. They have been married for forty-three years and have two sons and six grandchildren.
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