He has served in positions including Ambassador to Djibouti (2006-2008) and Rwanda (2008-2011), Deputy Assistant Secretary and U.S. Special Representative for the Central African Republic (2014-2016), Ambassador to Nigeria (2016-2019), and Special Envoy to South Sudan (2020-2021). In 2021, he began serving as a senior advisor at the National Defense University’s Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia. 

Some of his career highlights include fostering regional security cooperation, promoting democratic institutions, and advancing economic integration in Africa. He also played key roles in various international negotiations, including efforts to free American captives in Sudan and North Korea. He also worked on anti-terrorism initiatives, democratic stability, and humanitarian issues in regions like West Africa and Iraq. You can read more about the specifics of his career on the State Department’s website. 

In a recent visit to campus, where he spoke to students in assembly, Stuart said that while he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life at the time, the many varied interests he was able to explore in high school — such as Model UN, studying French, acting, and developing his debate skills with teachers and classmates — influenced his career options later in life. 

He also spoke about his work as a diplomat, emphasizing the importance of engaging with diverse perspectives and collaborating across differences to address complex global challenges. “Diplomats work daily with people from widely varied backgrounds who face many challenges,” he said. “I’ve never met anyone who agreed with me on everything, and I have spent much of my career with people who agreed with me on very little. We cannot solve any big challenge we face abroad (or at home) by talking only to those who agree with us.” 

Today, he and his wife Susan split their time between northwest Missouri, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco so that they can be close to their far-flung family members.