Out Diplomat Curtis Ried New National Security Council Chief of Staff

Trudy Ring
·2 min read
Curtis Ried
Curtis Ried

Curtis Ried has been named chief of staff at the National Security Council, making him the first out member of the LGBTQ+ community to hold that post or any senior leadership position at the NSC, NBC News reports.

“We are excited to have Curtis take on this critical leadership role for our team,” said a statement from National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. “I’m confident he will bring to it his trademark smarts, skills, and collegiality, sharpened across his nearly 20 years as a Foreign Service Officer and multiple tours at the NSC.”

Ried is currently senior director for multilateral affairs at the NSC. As chief of staff, he will succeed replaces Yohannes Abraham, who was confirmed by the Senate in August as ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Vice President Kamala Harris will swear Abraham in Monday night.

Ried has been a foreign service officer with the State Department of State for nearly 20 years. He has worked in Algeria, East Timor, Indonesia, Iraq, and Israel, and developed a specialization in the Middle East before serving as a political adviser to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He often travels overseas with President Joe Biden.

“Ried in particular played a key role in working with the United Nations and rebuilding the refugee admissions program,” NBC reports.

“Curtis has been a trusted partner to me and many senior leaders across the president’s Cabinet, and he is an excellent choice for this important role,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., according to NBC.

In April, Ried addressed a meeting of Impact, the LGBTQ+ employee resource group at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. At the event, “Ried urged participants to decide at the beginning of their careers to be their full selves,” notes a press release from the agency. “He explained that only part of that is the personal decision of when and how to come out in the workplace. He urged participants not to alter mannerisms at work or change the way they behave for a professional environment. He explained that people are at their most effective when they are being themselves.”