Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent Robert S. Gilchrist Acting since January 21, 2024^[1]
Reports to	Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
Nominator	President of the United States
Inaugural holder	James M. Wilson, Jr.
Formation	1976
Website	Official Website

The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor is the head of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor reports to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.

List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, 1976 — 1993

Name	Assumed office	Left office	President served under
James M. Wilson, Jr.	November 29, 1976	April 28, 1977	Gerald Ford
Patricia M. Derian	August 17, 1977	January 19, 1981	Jimmy Carter
Elliott Abrams	December 12, 1981	July 17, 1985	Ronald Reagan
Richard Schifter	October 31, 1985	April 3, 1992	Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush
Patricia Diaz Dennis	August 24, 1992	January 20, 1993	George H. W. Bush

While Ernest W. Lefever was nominated for the office by Reagan in 1981, his nomination was rejected by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and he withdrew from consideration.^[2]

List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 1993 — Present

Name	Assumed office	Left office	President served under
John Shattuck	June 2, 1993	November 13, 1998	Bill Clinton
Harold Hongju Koh	November 13, 1998	January 20, 2001	Bill Clinton
Lorne Craner	June 4, 2001	July 31, 2004	George W. Bush
Barry Lowenkron	October 14, 2005	August 28, 2007	George W. Bush
David J. Kramer	March 21, 2008	January 20, 2009	George W. Bush
Michael H. Posner	September 23, 2009	March 8, 2013	Barack Obama
Uzra Zeya (acting)^[3]	March 8, 2013	April 3, 2014	Barack Obama
Tom Malinowski^[4]	April 3, 2014	January 20, 2017	Barack Obama
Virginia Bennett (acting)	January 20, 2017	November 30, 2017	Donald Trump
Michael Kozak (Senior Bureau Official)	November 30, 2017	September 12, 2019	Donald Trump
Robert Destro^[5]	September 23, 2019	January 20, 2021	Donald Trump
Lisa J. Peterson (acting)^[6]	January 20, 2021	September 6, 2022	Joe Biden
Erin M. Barclay (acting)	September 6, 2022	January 21, 2024
Robert S. Gilchrist (Senior Bureau Official)	January 21, 2024	Incumbent

References

External links

United States Assistant Secretaries of State (and equivalent ranks)

United States Assistant Secretaries of State (and equivalent ranks)
Reporting to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs	African Affairs East Asian and Pacific Affairs European and Eurasian Affairs International Organization Affairs Near Eastern Affairs South and Central Asian Affairs Western Hemisphere Affairs
Reporting to the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment	Economic and Business Affairs Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Energy Resources Chief Economist of the Department
Reporting to the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security	Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance International Security and Nonproliferation Political-Military Affairs
Reporting to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs	Educational and Cultural Affairs Global Public Affairs
Reporting to the Under Secretary for Management	Administration Consular Affairs Diplomatic Security Chief Information Officer of the Department Chief Medical Officer and Designated Agency Safety and Health Official Comptroller of the Department and Director of Global Financial Services Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Global Talent Director of Budget and Planning Director of Overseas Buildings Operations Director, Foreign Service Institute Director, Office of Foreign Missions, with the rank of Ambassador Director, Office of Management Strategy and Solutions
Reporting to the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights	Conflict and Stabilization Operations Coordinator for Counterterrorism, with rank and status of Ambassador-at-Large Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Population, Refugees, and Migration Director, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking (Ambassador-at-Large) Global Criminal Justice (Ambassador-at-Large)
Reporting directly to the Secretary	Intelligence and Research Legislative Affairs Special Assistant to the Secretary and Executive Secretary of the Department Inspector General Legal Adviser Director, Policy Planning Staff Director, Office of Foreign Assistance Director, Office of Civil Rights and Chief Diversity Officer Chief of Protocol of the United States, with the rank of Ambassador Global Women's Issues (Ambassador-at-Large) Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally (Ambassador-at-Large)