Marissa Scott, New US Consul General to Casablanca

Career diplomat Marissa Scott was named this week as the new consul general in Casablanca, Morocco, by the administration of US President Joe Biden.

Before being appointed to her current position at the US embassy in Casablanca, the commercial hub of Morocco, Marissa Scott had a distinguished career as a US diplomat, having worked in a number of nations. She will direct the execution of US foreign policy in the sizable new US consulate located in the middle of Morocco’s humming economic metropolis as head of the diplomatic mission in Casablanca.

Louisiana to the continent of Africa
Scott, who grew up in a small village in rural Louisiana, was given the renowned Luard Morse scholarship at a young age, allowing her to attend the elite King’s College in London, UK. A career in the US State Department was reportedly sparked by Scott’s time in London, according to an interview with the English-Speaking Union (ESU-USA).

Following her stay in London, Scott attended the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish before pursuing a master’s in international relations.

Scott began her career as a foreign affairs assistant in Washington, DC, in 2003. There, she worked with US embassies in Africa, notably the US Embassy in Algiers, until March 2012. She subsequently relocated to Niamey, Niger, where she worked for three years as a public affairs officer. Scott would stay in Africa after her service in Niger since she was then given a position as the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde.

Prior to moving to South Africa to serve as the Director of the Africa Regional Media Hub, an office designed to connect US policymakers with media in Sub-Saharan Africa, skilled diplomat and linguist Marissa Scott did well for herself in West Africa. She performed the dual roles of director and spokesperson for the Department of State in French.

After spending nine years in Africa, Scott was called back to Washington, DC, in August 2022, where she worked as the DEIA Coordinator for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs until she was named Consul General to Casablanca in August 2023, at which point she was called back to Africa.

In accordance with her bio on the State Department, Scott has worked on projects in Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, Niger, and Cape Verde. She is also believed to be knowledgeable about the geopolitical environment in the region of Morocco because she also worked in Algeria, where she was given the Meritorious Honor Award by the US Embassy in Algiers in 2011.

In an interview with ESU-USA, Scott made the claim that “the American Dream is nothing more than a story that individuals want for themselves… I appreciate that I have the opportunity to speak authoritatively on behalf of my nation. She emphasized how happy she felt to be African-American, saying that she likes “being a person of color, being able to represent that.”

While Scott acknowledged that her skin tone “occasionally imposes an extra load,” she insisted that it is “a burden in a good way, a weight that I don’t mind carrying because when I’m out and abroad and people don’t assume that I’m a diplomat, they’re either astonished, amazed, or surprised that I am. I’m happy about that. Considering that I’ve just altered their perceptions of what Americans are and what America is.

Scott is a fluent speaker of Spanish and French and has credentials in dispute resolution, public relations, and strategic communications.

Scott has posted about a number of US topics affecting underrepresented groups on social media, including messages showing support for the LGBTQIA community and discussing US racial and gender inequality. In addition to her work with the US State Department, Scott is still a board member of the Melton Foundation and the USA Girl Scouts Overseas Advisory Council.

With Marissa’ Scott’s appointment, it appears the US Consulate in Morocco has gained a skilled veteran diplomat that is equipped with the linguistic skills, and a sharp understanding of regional issues and priorities, that undoubtedly will prove useful in her time in Morocco. Scott’s new appointment appears to be a fitting next step in her career, as she expressed to ESA-USA that she hopes to one day become a US Ambassador.

“I am honored to take up the role of Consul General in Casablanca,” Scott said in a press release from the US State Department. “The Consulate is an integral part of the U.S. Mission in Morocco, and I look forward to supporting our bilateral relationship through the broad range of consular services, educational and cultural programs, and commercial resources we offer in Casablanca.”