U.S. AND MAURITIUS BUSINESS SUMMIT

U.S. Ambassador Henry V. Jardine is a member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor. He was nominated to be the Ambassador to Mauritius and Seychelles on July 11, 2022, and his nomination was confirmed on December 13, 2022. Ambassador Jardine officially presented his credentials to the President of the Republic of Mauritius as the new Ambassador to Mauritius on February 22, 2023.

His previous assignments have included service as the Director for the Office of Career Development and Assignments (CDA) in the Bureau of Global Talent Management (GTM), Acting Director and Principal Deputy Director for the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO); Executive Director in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA); Management Counselor for the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand; Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, Albania; Director for the Regional and Security Policy Office (RSP) in the Bureau for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP); Consul General in Calcutta, India; Management Officer in Chiang Mai, Thailand; and rotational assignments as Political and Consular Officer in Bridgetown, Barbados and Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Prior to his work with the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Jardine was a Captain in the U.S. Army and served as Headquarters Company Executive Officer for the 2/327th Infantry Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and as a Platoon Leader with the 3/8th Infantry Battalion, 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized).  He was a distinguished graduate from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), where he received a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy.  For his undergraduate studies, he attended Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service and was a distinguished military science graduate from the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).  He was also one of a limited number of ROTC cadets to receive a Regular Army Commission and was selected for the Infantry Officers Basic Course Commandant’s list as a top graduate.  His awards include several Department of State Superior Honor Awards and Meritorious Honor Awards, the ICAF Ambassador’s Award for Research and Writing, and Department of the Army Commendation Medals as well as Parachutist, Air Assault, and Expert Infantryman Badges.

Ms. Griffin assumed the position of Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg in September 2021.

A member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ms. Griffin served Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the Embassy in Beijing from 2017-2021 and prior to that as U.S. Consul General in Perth with responsibilities for Western Australia (2013-2016).  Ms. Griffin also served as Regional Director, Western Hemisphere for the U.S. Commercial Service in Washington, DC (2011-2013), where she oversaw the operations of 14 offices throughout North America, Central America, and South America.

Prior to her Washington assignment, Ms. Griffin served as Commercial Counselor in Bangkok, Thailand (2008-2011), as Regional Senior Commercial Officer for West & Central Africa (2004-2007) based in Dakar, Senegal, and as Regional Senior Commercial Officer for East Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya (2001-2004). Ms. Griffin began her career at the American Institute in Taiwan where she served as Commercial Attaché (1995-1998). From 1998-2000, she served as a Senior International Trade Specialist advising U.S. exporters in Middletown, CT. 

Joanna Chen is the Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy Port Louis. She previously was the Deputy American Citizens Services Chief at the U.S. Embassy, Doha.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Joanna served at the White House in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement. Joanna was also the Executive Director of the nonprofit Youth Leadership America.

Coming from the private sector, Joanna worked in business development and sales for Cisco and various start-ups before establishing her own consulting business. 

 Originally from Anaheim, California, Joanna graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Urban Studies. She later earned her M.A. in International Politics and Business at New York University.

Tyler Hacking is a Foreign Commercial Service Officer for the United States Department of Commerce and part of the U.S. Foreign Service Diplomatic Corps. The role of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service is to support U.S. commercial interests internationally.  This mission includes support for US companies with advocacy and commercial diplomacy, strategic planning and counseling, market intelligence, and partner search services.

Tyler arrived in Cape Town in July of 2021 where he serves as the Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Cape Town, South Africa. Previous assignments include serving as the Senior Commercial Officer in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the Deputy Senior Commercial Officer in Nairobi, Kenya, Commercial Officer in Seoul, South Korea and at the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Anjana is the Economic and Commercial Specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Port Louis. Her work includes supporting the economic section of the embassy on issues relating to trade and economic relationships between the U.S. and Mauritius, supporting the trade promotion programs of the U.S Departments of State and Commerce, and working in partnership with the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service in South Africa to provide a wide range of commercial services to U.S. businesses interested in opportunities in Mauritius. 

She previously worked as Deputy-Registrar of the MCCI Arbitration & Mediation Center and as Legal & Business Facilitation Analyst at the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  She holds a BA in Law & Management from the University of Mauritius, and an LL.M in International Business Law from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas.