Joe Biden nominates SC native, USC graduate to State Department job

President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated a South Carolina native and University of South Carolina journalism school graduate to a role in his administration.

A White House release said Biden nominated Lee Satterfield to fill the role of assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Satterfield’s name was among 11 nominated for national security roles in the administration.

Satterfield is the president and chief operating officer at the nonprofit Meridian International Center, which describes itself on its website as a “diplomacy center that connects leaders through culture and collaboration to drive solutions for global challenges.”

If confirmed, this would be the third president Satterfield has worked for.

She served in the Obama administration as his acting assistant secretary of state and deputy assistant secretary of state in the department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. She also served as the deputy chief of protocol of the United States, the release said.

She also held a handful of senior positions in the Clinton administration that included the chief of staff to former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman.

Satterfield’s bio on Meridian’s website says she lives in Washington with her husband and their two sons.

Maayan Schechter

The State

Maayan Schechter (My-yahn Schek-ter) is the senior editor of The State’s politics and government team. She has covered the S.C. State House and politics for The State since 2017. She grew up in Atlanta, Ga. and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Asheville in 2013. She previously worked at the Aiken Standard and the Greenville News. She has won reporting awards in South Carolina. Support my work with a digital subscription