Sheri Ritsema-Anderson

Ms. Sheri Ritsema-Anderson was appointed as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Jordan on 22 January 2023 and represents the United Nations Secretary-General at the country level. She brings to this role over 20 years of experience in crisis leadership and international affairs, including 15 years working in and on the Middle East.

Previously, Ms. Ritsema-Anderson held senior positions with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for nearly 15 years; she also served with UNICEF and the International Rescue Committee. She directed strategy, diplomacy, and operations from the frontlines and headquarters alike, with multiple deployments in Gaza/West Bank, Iraq, and Indonesia and on the Sudan crisis, and in New York Headquarters overseeing major crisis responses in Venezuela, DRC (Ebola), Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and across West and Central Africa.

She began her career in local government, with the Mayor’s Office in New York City and the State of Florida, and in faith-based community service in Perú and the United States, focusing on children and family services, poverty alleviation, and homelessness.

A national of the United States, she holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from The New School in New York and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida State University.