Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, has been appointed by President Biden as U.S. Ambassador to Germany. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she will be the first woman to hold the post.
“I cannot overstate what a meaningful and extraordinary honor it is to be nominated by the President for this important position of service to our country,” President Gutmann said. “As the daughter of a German Jewish refugee, as a first-generation college graduate, and as a university leader devoted to advancing constitutional democracy, I am grateful beyond what any words can adequately express to President Biden for the faith he has placed in me to help represent America’s values and interests to one of our closest and most important European allies.”
President Guttman’s contract as president of the University of Pennsylvania runs through June 2022. She said she will remain at her post until confirmed by the Senate.
Dr. Gutmann has served as president of the University of Pennsylvania since 2004. She also serves as the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science and professor of communication in the Annenberg School for Communication at Penn. Previously, she was provost at Princeton University.
President Gutmann holds a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University. She earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.