Marion Creekmore

Distinguished Ambassador in Residence
Distinguished Visiting Professor of History and Political Science
mcreekm@emory.edu

Ambassador Marion V. Creekmore, Jr. is the distinguished ambassador in residence at the Halle Institute for Global Learning and a distinguished visiting professor of history and political science at Emory University.

In 1993, Creekmore was appointed to the joint position of program director of The Carter Center and vice provost for international affairs at Emory University in Atlanta. While at The Carter Center, he coordinated many of the international activities of former President Jimmy Carter. During his tenure, and in collaboration with the International Affairs Council, an official set of recommendations for Emory's internationalization, "Internationalizing Emory: A Strategy for Leadership in Global Education," was developed. From 1996 to 2000, he continued to serve as Emory’s first vice provost for international affairs, and from 1997 to 2000 as the first director of the Claus M. Halle Institute for Global Learning.

A career American diplomat from 1965 to 1993, Creekmore served as U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives from November 1989 to September 1992. Other overseas postings included South Africa, Ghana, Germany, and India; in New Delhi, he held the position of Deputy Chief of Mission from 1981 to 1984. Ambassador Creekmore’s policy assignments in the U.S. State Department in Washington included Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Affairs; Deputy Director of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs; and Deputy Afghan Coordinator.

His book, A Moment of Crisis: Jimmy Carter, the Power of a Peacemaker and North Korea’s Nuclear Ambitions, was published in August 2006.  It describes how the former U.S. president’s intervention resolved peacefully the 1994 nuclear crisis with North Korea and probably prevented a second Korean War. Creekmore served as Carter’s principal adviser for this initiative and accompanied President and Mrs. Carter to North Korea. The book also offered his advice on how to deal with the current nuclear crisis in North Korea.

A native of Bolivar, Tennessee, Creekmore received his B.A. from Vanderbilt University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Tulane University. He and his wife Linda live in Atlanta. They have two daughters and four grandchildren.