Scobey graduated from
Immaculate Conception High School in
Memphis, Tennessee in 1967. She earned a B.A. and an M.A. in history from the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Scobey pursued doctoral studies in history at the
University of Michigan in
Ann Arbor. As a United States
Foreign Service Officer, Scobey served at the U.S. embassies in many Middle and Near Eastern countries. She was the Deputy Chief of Mission in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from September 2001 to November 2003, before receiving her first appointment as ambassador, to
Syria. She was recalled from Syria in 2005 after the assassination of the
Lebanese Prime Minister
Rafiq Hariri. Scobey served as Political Counselor in Baghdad from 2006 to 2007. In February 2008, she was nominated and confirmed as the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt. In February 2011, she spoke with
Mohamed ElBaradei, ==References==