Ambassador to France and Monaco
Rivkin assumed the role of Ambassador in August 2009, sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ambassador Rivkin's service in France came at one of the bilateral relationship's strongest moments in recent history. To honor the legacy of Franco-American friendship and to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the Allied invasion of mainland Europe during World War II, Rivkin took part in a mass parachute jump over the coast of Normandy on June 3, 2012. An estimated crowd of 25,000 watched Rivkin land in a field near Sainte-Mère-Église amidst heavy winds, as he became the first US Ambassador to France to jump from a plane in honor of the troops who fought on D-Day. In support of the U.S. Navy, Rivkin became the first US Ambassador to take off and land on a Navy aircraft carrier in an F-18 Super Hornet when he participated in a training exercise with naval aviators on the USS Eisenhower in March 2013.
According to the Department of State Office of Inspector General's report in May 2012, Rivkin placed new emphasis on support for US exports of goods and services into France. The report called Rivkin a "dynamic and visionary noncareer Ambassador", and credited him with expanding the U.S. Embassy's public diplomacy activities, particularly through his use of social media and his appearances on French national television. Rivkin introduced social media to Embassy Paris, establishing its first ever Facebook and Twitter accounts.
As ambassador, Rivkin made youth outreach one of his key priorities and connected the embassy to the next generation of leaders throughout France, including in disadvantaged communities in the banlieues outside larger cities. Rivkin organized a series of seminars for French youth, inviting them to meet with prominent American government officials, actors and musicians. Beginning with actor Samuel L. Jackson's April 2010 visit with students in Bondy, an economically depressed Parisian suburb, Rivkin set up seminars and hosted events with Stephen Colbert, Sylvester Stallone, Woody Allen, Jodie Foster, will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Robert Zemeckis, Allen Stone, Tony Bennett, Herbie Hancock, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and many others. "Much of the embassy's outreach is meant to dispel 'mistruths' about the United States," Rivkin said in an interview, adding, "It's easier to hate something you don't understand." In January 2012, Rivkin broadened his outreach efforts by creating the Washburne Award for Innovation in Diversity, recognizing one French and one American company for their best practices in fostering diversity in hiring practices.
On July 16, 2013, French president François Hollande awarded Ambassador Rivkin the rank of Commander in the Légion d'honneur at the Elysée Palace. Rivkin is the first US ambassador in half a century to receive the decoration from a sitting French president. Rivkin's tenure as ambassador to France received highly favorable reviews by both State Department audits and from his embassy's employees. Rivkin left office in November 2013 following his nomination to become an Assistant Secretary of the State Department.
In February 2015, Rivkin received la Grande Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris, the city of Paris' highest honor, from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. In December 2016, Rivkin received the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, the U.S. Department of the Navy's highest civilian recognition, from Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.
