Charles Stith

Short Biography

Ambassador Charles R. Stith (born 29 August 1949) is an African-American educator, author and politician. He established and currently directs Boston University's African Presidential Center. Prior to assuming his present position as the Director of the African Presidential Center at Boston University, Ambassador Charles R. Stith presented his Letter of Credence as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the United Republic of Tanzania in September 1998. He served as the Ambassador in the traumatic period after the August 1998 bombing of the United States Embassy in Dar es Salaam. Because of his able and steady leadership, the Embassy emerged from the bombing stable, and set a new standard for U.S. Embassies promoting U.S. trade and investment in Africa. Stith worked with the Tanzanian government to enable them to become one of the first Sub-Saharan African countries to reach the decision point for debt relief under the enhanced Heavily-Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC).