Ambassador Nicole Avant was nominated by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by The U.S. Senate as Ambassador to The Bahamas becoming the youngest as well as the first African American woman to hold the position. As ambassador, Avant pursued five key initiatives: Economic & Small Business Development, Education, Women's Empowerment, Alternative Energy, and raising awareness about the challenges facing people with disabilities. Avant’s successes in The Bahamas earned her a nomination for the Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service.
Ambassador Avant has pursued an array of businesses focused on female and minority owned enterprises as well as philanthropic ventures that honor her parent’s lifelong commitment to the community. She recently commemorated the unveiling of the Jacqueline Avant Children and Family Center.
In 2019, Ambassador Avant produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary, “The Black Godfather” for Netflix. The film charts the exceptional and unlikely rise of her father Clarence Avant, the ultimate, uncensored mentor and behind-the-scenes dealmaker in music, film, TV, and politics. The film was nominated for the prestigious Grierson Documentary Award, an Emmy Award, two NAACP Image Awards and was named one of the Top 5 Documentaries of 2019 by the National Board of Review. In 2021, Avant executive produced another critically acclaimed and award-winning film, “Trees of Peace” and currently, is a producer on Tyler Perry’s next film “The Six-Triple-Eight,” the true story of the first all-black female battalion to serve in Europe during WWII.
Ambassador Avant’s first book, Think You’ll Be Happy, was a USA Today bestseller and lauded as courageous, honest, and inspiring. Think You’ll Be Happy is now available in paperback.
During her formative years, the Avant household was always filled with an eclectic array of guests attending music and film events, charitable events and political fundraisers. It wasn’t until her teen years that she began to understand the significance of her parents' visitors.
Ambassador Avant lives in Los Angeles with her husband Ted Sarandos, their two labradors, and is the proud stepmother of Tony and Sarah.
